As Red As Blood
by Normality-Isn't-Normal
Summary: Vampires are the creatures of nightmares. Nothing more. The idea of them has haunted Naruto ever since his father died. Once he entered the Uchiha Mansion that cursed day, there was no going back. SasuXNaru Vampire Fic.
1. Prologue

Hello everyone! This is yet another fan fiction from N-I-N! I know I promised I would finish House Party Hell before I posted any other fan fictions, but I had this idea before HPH, and I didn't want to hurt the story's feelings. Yep, I'm that weird...

Right. This is a vampire fic. With blood sucking fiends and what-not. I have never done one before, but everyone else seems to be doing one, so I thought, "Y'know, why not?" And there's the hype of 'Twilight' and everything, so this is basically the perfect time to start posting one. I have read at least two vamp fics this week alone, and I am all vampired up!! GO CREATURES OF THE NIGHT!!

I basically came up with this story whilst trying to get to sleep one night. This is how it usually works for me. I lay awake, talking to myself hoping to the anime-Gods I can come up with a good fan fic idea. And then, hey ho, one comes to me! It is truly a beautiful process...

This story actually used to be about a girl who met Sasuke and Naruto and she had to put them together. But I decided that it wasn't SasuXNaru enough, so I changed it. So this whole story has basically taken forever to write, 'cause I had to go through it all and correct stuff. But you have to give the fans what they came for, ne?

The first chapter isn't SasuXNaru. I apologize, but the plot needs to build up first. Things need to be explained. It is about Naruto and his life so far. Like a flashback, only...hopefully cooler. If you guys end up hating this story so much, I shall delete it if necessary. I'm actually slight nervous, 'cause I don't know how you guys will take it. Be kind though, ne? Why the hell do I keep saying that? I'm not frickin' Japanese! Though, I've been called a Japanese wannabe before...and that made me slightly happy...As I have said before, I think I have issues...

So, before we begin, the disclaimer:

**DISCLAIMER!!: **I don't own Naruto. But the lady who owns the orphanage, the old lady and the policeman are all mine!! Yes, all of the completely unimportant characters are mine!! MWUAHAHAHAHA!! Oh yeah...and the story itself of course. So no stealing my work and passing it off as your own kk? If there is, I shall hunt you down with my new found vampire powers!! Apparently I am a vampire, since on sleepovers I always seem to be hyper during the night when my friends are exhausted, and when anybody opens my bedroom curtains during the day, I start hissing and cowering from behind a pillow...Don't ask...

Oh yeah. And by the way, because there are a LOT of vamp fics of SasuXNaru on this site, I have to put this. If I use something that you feel I stole from you, I promise I didn't. But if you feel that uncomfortable with it I can take it down and change it for you if you like. If something is similar to yours, then I must have subconsciously taken it or something. Because I under no circumstances mean to steal from anybody. I hope that helps other authors in any way.

* * *

"I'm just going out for milk, okay Naruto? I won't be gone long."

That was the last thing my father said to me before he died. We were in the middle of the Summer holidays, and one night for some bizarre reason my kid brother, Kiba, wanted some milk for cereal. I told my father not to go out and wait until morning, since it was way past Kiba's bedtime anyway. But being the big softy he was, my father just smiled, ruffled Kiba's auburn locks, put his coat on and was out of the door before I could say another word.

And he never came home.

An old lady who lived in the street next to ours found his body when she went out to get the morning paper. She found him lying on her lawn, cold and lifeless, with trails of blood trickling down his unshaven neck. He was clutching a bottle of milk in one pale hand, the one he promised he wouldn't take long in getting. Now that I think about it, Kiba never did get that milk for his cereal. In fact, he hasn't touched the stuff since that day. He says it's cursed. He also says vampires killed our father. I keep telling him he's talking nonsense, but he won't listen to a word of it.

The police came to our door a few hours after they found our father's body. He asked me where my mother was when I answered the door. I told him I hadn't seen our mother since I was five. The policeman just sighed and asked if he could come in. I reluctantly said yes.

When he told me what had happened, there was a weird feeling at the pit of my stomach, like I was on the verge of being sick. Everything was just one big blur, and I couldn't think straight. It felt like the room was swaying, like it was a boat sailing on a rough sea. It was the worst I had ever felt in my life.

The policeman kept telling me how sorry he was, and if I had any relatives I could go and stay with. I told him no; it was just me and Kiba now. Just us, alone in a big empty world.

After a few more moments of the policeman's apologies and condolences, he just got up and left. Just like that. But I didn't mind. The truth was, I would have preferred it if he had never turned up in the first place. Then perhaps I never would have had to find out the truth. I could keep living in a perfect world, one where my father was still alive, so we could all live in our perfect world together. But I knew my perfect world had died years ago. Ever since my mother had disappeared.

I didn't know how long it was until Kiba came home from playing with his friends. A minute. Ten minutes. An hour. Who knew? Time was meaningless to me at that point.

I remember sitting him down with a large cup of juice and a few cookies. My plan was to make him comfortably happy before telling him. But before he had even finished chewing one mouthful of cookie, I had burst into tears and blurted out everything to him. I can never forget the horrified look on his face. It was burned into my memory that day, and it has haunted me in every nightmare, in every waking moment of my life. For a while, I could not even look at him without seeing that face. Words cannot describe how horrible it was to look at that face. Full of sadness, pain and betrayal. Betrayal towards me or our father, I was never truly sure, but I knew that feeling was there. I could see it in his eyes.

A few days after that, I had to go and identify the body. I had to ask myself, why the hell did they choose me? After all, I was only thirteen at the time. Why couldn't a neighbour, or someone like that do it? But I know now, it had to have been me. I was family. I had to do it.

When they pulled the plastic covering off of his body, I wanted to break down into tears again. His skin was so white, like frozen snow, and I could clearly see the wounds on his neck. But what scared me the most was his eyes. They were wide open still, and they were staring right at me. I wondered why they hadn't closed them by now, I mean, isn't that something that people usually do straight away? Those dead eyes gazing right into my soul. I felt like they were stealing my life away somehow. I quickly told them it was him, and begged them to pull the cover back over his face. They suddenly noticed his eyes were open, and closed them before they could cause me any more distress. But the damage had already been done. Those eyes immediately joined the other horrible memories that were floating around inside my head, the ones that refused me any piece of mind.

When I came home from the morgue, there were a lot of cardboard boxes lying around inside our house. And there were strangers filling them with all sorts of personal belongings. I ran over to them, and I remember shouting at them furiously, telling them to put down everything and get the hell out of our house. But then that woman came through the door, and I knew immediately what was going on.

She was the owner of the orphanage in the city; I remembered seeing her picture in the local newspaper, but I couldn't remember her name. She was hailed a saint for her work with children, but I knew someone like that could not exist in a world as cruel as this one. She had to be some kind of fake. Just by looking at her you could tell that much. Her orphanage was a religious one, one where they made children pray every Sunday and gave counselling to those who required it. I hated that place. Everything about it made me want to throw up. But that woman was the worst. She ran towards me and pulled me in a fierce embrace. She smelled of something sickening, even now I can't tell what it was exactly. But the over-powering stench made me want to gag.

"Oh Naruto-kun!" she howled dramatically, "I am so sorry for your loss! But don't you fret! Your dear auntie shall be taking care of you from now on!"

I asked her where Kiba was.

"Oh the dear boy is in St. Tsunade's as we speak! He is probably checking out his new room! The poor thing was so worried but I told him you'd be joining him very soon!"

I said that we weren't going to go anywhere. Our house was where we lived. It was our home. I told her she had no right to take Kiba anywhere without telling me first. She looked insulted.

"Oh my darling boy! Surely you understand that we are only doing this for your own good! I can't stand to see children like you suffer! But...you have to understand sweetie, that this isn't your home. Your father was paying rent for it, and now that he isn't here, the poor thing, you and your brother cannot continue living here."

I told her I would work and pay the rent myself. I knew I could manage it by myself. All she did was laugh.

"Of course you can't work! You're not old enough to work yet my dear! And after all, you have school to worry about! Let's not forget someone also needs to be home to look after Kiba. Could you go to school, work, and still manage to look after your baby brother?"

I said yes. I could work after school, and one of the neighbours could check in on Kiba from time to time until I got back from work. The neighbours had done it before when my father was out working late. Why should now be any different?

"Come now child let's not be difficult shall we? You're coming with me because it is a council order. So, why don't you get into my car and come to St. Tsunade's whilst these fine gentlemen are still packing? You can check up on Kiba and see your new room too!"

I knew if I argued further then she would begin to get angry. I think that's why I did it, to be completely honest. Even now, I don't regret making her frustrated. I enjoyed making her life hell. After all, she made my life hell. So I thought, why should I be nice to her?

"I'm smarter than you give me credit for," I hissed, "I'll come with you, after all I would rather not make an unpleasant scene, even though my subconscious is begging for one right about now. But when I get to St. Tsunade's I'm going to get my revenge. I will not forget this, and one day I'm going to get my home back. Are we clear?"

The look on her face after that little comment was priceless. That was one memory I remembered that I would rather not forget. She was trying to hide it, but it was a look of pure fear.

"Now sweetie," she chuckled nervously, "Let's get into the car! We wouldn't want to keep your dear little brother waiting, now would we?"

I glared daggers at her, and smirked playfully when I noticed her shudder. She slowly began to back away, then fully turned around and walked quite quickly towards her car. It was an ugly little thing. It was one of those tiny cars that could only fit about two people inside, and it was painted a hideous shade of bright maroon. I imagined the car smelt exactly like her. I was reluctant to get inside, however, I knew that I had to.

A late Summer breeze blew through the open door, though this breeze was not as warm as I expected it to be. It was quite chilling; it seeped into my bones and froze me to my very core. This wind was giving me a message. I knew it was predicting the future to come.

_Life now will be much harder, for you and your brother. Your suffering will not end here, _it said to me.

I gave our house one last look, one last pitiful look before I turned around and began my sorrowful walk towards the car.

"I know..." I whispered, "I know..."

* * *

So what does everyone think? It's slightly creepy 'cause Naruto's past is so dark...really like the anime itself actually...but without any crazed fox demons destroying villages or jumpy ninjas that shout 'BELIEVE IT!!' ¬¬ I swear if Naruto says that one more time I am writing to Viz Media...XD

Anywho, this prologue is written as if Naruto is telling the story. The rest of it will be, 'he, Naruto ect.' so it will be a different person...I think it's called 'third person' but I can't be bothered to look it up...Not studying English for six weeks has taken its toll on me...

So, please leave reviews, tell me what you think, what you think might happen if you feel like it, and of course constructive criticism is appreciated. However if you say something annoying or rude or...or just plain mean, then I will get my vampire friends to find you. You have been warned...XD


	2. The Trapped Butterfly

Right, this is the actual beginning of the story now guys! The bit you've all been waiting for! Kyaaa it's gonna be so cool!  
I felt slightly scared myself when writing this, 'cause I imagined the creepy bits in my head...and it was dark...and I was all alone with my computer...

Anywho, please enjoy, and to those other people who keep reading House Party Hell, I just wanna say, THE LAST CHAPTER IS ALMOST DONE!! I PROMISE IT WILL BE OUT IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS!! I ALMOST FINISHED IT A WEEK AGO BUT THEN GOT **SEVERE WRITERS BLOCK!!** -dramatic music- I want it to be perfect for you guys, so please be patient.

Right, the disclaimer:

**DISCLAIMER!!: **I don't own Naruto. However, Sora, Towa, Taro and Kiro are all mine!! MWUWUHAHAHAHAHA!! More of the unimportant characters to the plot are all mine!! -sniff- I'm so happy...

And remember, this is in third person...I think...Using the immortal words of Naruto Abridged, (which is also not mine) If I'm wrong, may I be hit by a giant log! ...I'm sorry if I just mentally scarred any people...I will send those people cyber cookies as an apology...

* * *

"Hey, hey! Are you even listening to me?!"

Naruto jerked awake. His heart was racing and he felt sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He cringed. It felt disgusting.

"Naruto? You fell asleep on me again didn't you?! I told you to stop pulling all-nighters you idiot!" Sora yelled into my ear. **(1)**

"Sora, bugger off before I kill you," he hissed dangerously.

"Don't be mean Naruto! I'm only trying to be nice!" Sora replied nervously.

He slowly lifted his head off of his desk and rubbed his aching neck. Naruto had no idea how long he had been asleep for, but it had only felt like two seconds.

"So what were you saying Sora?" he asked groggily.

"I said, idiot, that I was going out tonight to that new club, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me!" Sora giggled.

"That club is for over eighteens. Don't call me an idiot when you're coming up with stupid ideas like that."

"Don't worry Naruto! Towa's coming with me! And she's going to get us in too! She told me that with her kind of social status, she could get me anything I wanted. She's a major hottie Naruto. A total babe and a half!" **(2)**

"Thanks, but no thanks. I have to do my homework. And if I'm not wrong, so do you," Naruto smirked.

Sora groaned in annoyance and picked up his bag from beside Naruto's desk. Naruto chuckled quietly. He always made that weird sound when he couldn't get what he wanted.

"Fine Naruto! But you're missing out on a hell of a lot of fun! I was going to try and get you a date too!"

"Oh perfect Sora! Trying to set me up with another one of your drunken idiot bimbos who only want boys with fast cars, cash and a superiority complex? No thanks."

Sora waved goodbye and walked straight out of his door without another word. All Naruto could do was laugh. Sora was such a weird person sometimes. He was all about girls and machines, things that had repulsed Naruto his entire life. The only machines he needed in his life were computers and cell phones, and girls, well...he just wasn't interested.

He arose from his chair and wandered out into the corridor. To his surprise, there was no one there. He couldn't believe there wasn't at least one sticky kid or one hormonal teenager rampaging around the corridors of Hell. Or using more..._accepted_ terms- St. Tsunade's Orphanage.

He walked straight back into his room and checked his clock. Most of the colour drained from his face and he nearly screamed.

It was half past eight. That meant only fifteen minutes until school started. Naruto was screwed.

"Ru-Ru? Are you in here?" **(3)**

Naruto turned around and saw Kiba standing in his doorway, with his rucksack swung over one shoulder and his back against the door frame. He was dressed in full school attire, something that could not be said about Naruto. He was still in his pajamas.

"Ru-Ru, why aren't you ready yet? Your teacher's gonna be ma-ad!" he chuckled in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up Kiba! Why the hell do you keep calling me Ru-Ru? Start being useful will ya and help me!" Naruto yelled, running around his room like an insane person, grabbing bits of clothing and coursework that was not yet finished.

"I call you Ru-Ru 'cause it's fun! And what the heck do you want me to do? You seem to be coping quite well without my help...I would just get in the way."

"Kiba, you're ten years old. Last I checked you weren't incompetent. Now help me!"

"Fine! Alright already Ru-Ru! But just 'cause you're the big brother doesn't mean you get to boss me around like this all the time. I mean, you're only four and a half years older than me.."

"Bro, I'm five years older than you. Have you lost the ability to count? Or have you forgotten there are twelve months in a year?"

"Shut up!"

Naruto rushed out into the corridor and into the bathroom where he began furiously putting on his school shirt, tie, trousers and other bits of clothing. When he had finished putting on the last sock, he raced out and checked his reflection in the mirror. A mass of blonde hair. Blue eyes that seemed to have lost their shine years ago. _Yep,_ he thought to himself, _it's still me._ _I'm still here. Two fucking years and I'm still stuck in St. Tsunade's. Two years still not knowing who killed my father. Two fucking years..._

"Ru-Ru! Are you done? I have to go too y'know, but I can't start walking without you!" Kiba called out.

Naruto snapped out of his sudden trance and ran towards Kiba, grabbing his bag from Kiba's small hands. Naruto clutched Kiba's hand tightly in his, and they both ran for the door, dodging the Sisters who were yelling at them to slow down. They ran as fast as they could down the street, apologizing to scared pedestrians who they had nearly knocked over; to mothers pushing their prams who they had nearly ran into; and to dog walkers, whose dog leads they got tangled up in many times.

When they finally saw the school in sight, they started to slow down, until they finally reached a pleasant stroll. The Sun was burning bright, but its warmth still managed to evade Naruto. He had not felt the warmth of the Sun in a long while.

"Hey Ru-Ru, I have something for you," Kiba said.

"Oh?" Naruto asked curiously, "What is it?"

Kiba pulled his rucksack off of his shoulder, opened the zip and began rummaging around inside. After a few moments, he pulled out a piece of folded paper and a necklace. Naruto gasped. The necklace was beautiful. It was a silver butterfly on a single silver chain, and it seemed to shine in the bright light. Its wings were decorated so that they looked like the leaves of a flower. It was such a pretty thing. Truly beautiful. **(4)**

"Kiba? Who's that for? And where did you get the money to buy something like that?"

He shook his head. "I didn't buy it. I found it in the movers' boxes from two years ago. It was in there along with a note, and the note was addressed to you. I thought I should give it to you."

"A note? For me?"

He held the note and the necklace out for Naruto to take. Naruto carefully took them from Kiba's hand and unfolded the piece of paper. He stopped walking. His eyes widened. Naruto recognized the handwriting.

"What is it? Who's it from?" Kiba asked excitedly.

"...It's from Mom."

"What?"

Naruto stared at the letter a long while before he actually dared to begin reading. He was anxious to know what it said. Then again, he was slightly scared too. The feeling was silly, but it was there.

The letter began, _**To my darling angel**. _Naruto smiled. That was what she always used to call him.

**_To my darling angel,_**

**_If you are reading this letter right now, it means that I am no longer around. I understand that me leaving so suddenly must have been hard for you and your father to cope with, but he knows why I have left. At this present time, I cannot tell you why exactly. When you're older, perhaps your father may tell you.-_**

_Dad knew? Why didn't he tell me? What was the reason Mom left?_ Naruto was confused. He continued reading.

**_You don't have to worry, my darling angel. I am safe where I am now,-_**

_Thank goodness,_ he sighed. _Mom was alright._

**_but I do not think I shall ever be returning home.-_**

It felt like a knife in Naruto's chest. _What? Why the hell not?! Why couldn't she come back if she was alright!?_

_**Please understand. There is someone who needs me right now. He needs me more than anybody. He is...a friend of sorts. And he will die if I am not by his side. It's complicated. Like I said earlier, your father will explain it to you when you are older.-** _

_What did that mean, 'a friend of sorts'? Did she mean a boyfriend? A lover? Was she cheating on Dad? What did she mean by, 'he will die if I am not by his side'? Surely no one would actually __die if they couldn't see someone!_

**_Because I can no longer see you, I leave you this necklace in my place. It was a gift, from the very same man I am trying to save by returning to his side. He said to me, 'I give this to you, as a symbol. A symbol of a beautiful butterfly, that can fly free from its bonds to the earth, and soar beyond the skies into Heaven itself. You are my butterfly...my beautiful butterfly. I want to see you fly free, to soar as far as your delicate wings will take you. This is my wish for you'. And I wish you the same, my darling angel. I give this to you, in hopes that you will fly freely, and where you please as well. I do not want you to be tied down and trapped. Freedom is life, my darling angel. If you are not free, then there is no point in living at all._**

**_Give my love to your father and your brother. I wish that I was able to see my little boy grow up, but I guess you shall have to do that for me. Be safe and well for the rest of your life.You don't have to wear the necklace my darling angel. It might seem slightly girly to you! Just...keep it close to your heart, so I can fly free by your side always.  
_**

**_With all of my love,  
Mom xxxxxxxxxxxx_**

Naruto's knees would not stop shaking. The tears would not stop trickling down his cheeks. They dripped onto his Mother's note that he clutched in his shivering hands.

_...Why? Why did she leave us? For a man? Why was that man so important to her? So important, she would leave her own children?_ He didn't understand. He felt sick.

"Ru-Ru? What's wrong? Why are you crying? What did Mom say?" Kiba asked.

Naruto looked into his worried eyes, and immediately brushed all traces of tears from his face. He smiled a big, fake smile and reassured Kiba that he was okay. That kind of trick worked when he was a little boy. But Naruto knew it hadn't worked this time. However, he didn't say a single word, even though by looking in his eyes, Naruto could tell Kiba knew he was lying. He buried the note deep into his pocket, wishing so much that Kiba had never found it. He lifted the necklace up and tied it at the back of his neck. He hid it underneath his school shirt, because he knew the teachers would confiscate it if they saw it. Naruto knew he shouldn't have put it on, he should have waited until he got back to the orphanage. But...he felt like he had to. For his mother.

So that she could fly free with him.

* * *

"So class, for the next few weeks, we shall be discussing this town's own history. To start, we will be looking at the illustrious families of the past. Now is there a family which someone would like us to discuss first?"

It was only the start of second period, and Naruto was already bored out of his mind. He generally enjoyed History, of course. Things such as Ancient Egypt, Rome, even the Middle Ages in England grabbed his interest. But when they started discussing their own lame town history, that's when his brain would switch off.

"Oooh! What about the Okada's? They had the largest crop field here!"

_The Okada's were a bunch of drunken fools who got lucky. Everyone knew that._

"No way! The Watanabe's! They helped design and build a lot of the buildings still standing today!"

_The Watanabe's stole other people's ideas and presented them as their own. They were thieves and crooks._

"How about the Uchihas?"

He froze. He had no idea who they were. _Who the hell were the Uchihas?_

"Ah yes! Splendid idea Taro! We shall begin discussing the Uchihas," their teacher exclaimed.

"Um excuse me?" Naruto said, raising his hand, "Who are...the Uchihas?"

"The Uchihas were a well respected family who lived on the hill just outside of town," one of the posh, snooty boys called Kiro explained, "They were one of the richest and largest families in this general area. However, they all began dying mysteriously until only a handful of them were left. Then, one night, they were all finished off."

"Finished off?" Sora gasped.

"Sadly yes," their teacher sighed, "And no one really knows how or why either-"

"I do!" Taro yelled, "They were vampires and got killed off by a vampire hunter!"

"Vampires?" Kiro smirked, "Don't be more of an idiot than we already know you are. Vampires don't exist. They never have, and never will."

Naruto couldn't help but agree. Vampires didn't exist. They were just characters of fiction created by some guy in the Gothic period of literature who wanted to scare a few people. But he couldn't help but think of his father when Taro said the word 'vampire'. Why was he thinking about that at a time like this? His father wasn't killed by vampires, because they didn't exist. They couldn't exist. Something like that was...unthinkable.

"They do too exist! People have been found with puncture wounds on their neck! And people were mysteriously vanishing ever since the Uchihas arrived in our town! As soon as they were killed, those disappearances decreased! You can't argue with the facts smart ass!" Taro shouted at Kiro.

"Language Taro!" their teacher huffed.

"Oh please! All of those disappearances were due to crazed killers and kidnappers, not blood sucking fiends of the night! There is a logical explanation to all of this. You can't go blaming the Uchihas simply because they lived in a Gothic mansion away from sight! Perhaps they just weren't friendly," Kiro argued.

"Bullshit!"

"Language!"

"I know they exist! There was evidence of an attack not too long ago! Naruto's dad got killed by one too!"

_Oh crap._ He knew it wouldn't have been long until they brought it up, but he just didn't expect it to be so soon. Taro would want him to talk about it. And that he just could not do. Every time Naruto thought about his father, he could see his widened eyes on that stone cold metal table in the morgue. Eyes full of sorrow. Full of fear.

"Naruto! C'mon, tell them I'm right! Vampires do exist don't they?"

Those eyes that refused to stop staring. Those eyes that burned into his soul. He couldn't get them out of his head...

"Tell them! Your dad got killed by one of 'em, didn't he?"

He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to talk about it...

"He did! He got killed by-"

"JUST SHUT UP!"

Naruto could feel everyone's eyes on him when he jumped out of his seat. But he was so full of rage and sadness, he couldn't control himself properly. It was like he was being manipulated, like some freakish puppet. He was helpless.

"You think you know? You think you know everything don't you!? Well you don't! My father was not killed by vampires! I don't know how the hell he died! No one bloody knows! Everyone has tried to find out why, but guess what? They still don't know! I can't take it! You thinking you can sit there and say exactly how everything happened, like you know everything! Whilst I sit here, his _own son_, and not have a bloody clue! Well I have something to say to you, you miserable ugly fucker! You don't know shit! So stop acting like your King of the frickin' world already! And if you ever talk about my father's death again, I will personally make it my mission in life to hunt you down and kick your ass!"

Naruto gasped. He couldn't believe he had said such terrible things to him. Half of it he didn't even mean. But that anger inside of him still wanted another round. It still wanted vengeance for that asshole even mentioning his father.

"Naruto!" their teacher squeaked, "You have just earned yourself a detention! Now please go outside and wait. I will talk to you in a moment."

He wasted no time in picking up his bag and walking straight out of the classroom. He opened the door and slammed it angrily behind him. Only Naruto didn't stay outside the classroom like his teacher asked. As soon as he shut that classroom door he kept walking and didn't look back. Naruto started jogging steadily until he broke into a sprint, racing through the school corridors trying to search for the goddamn exit. Once he found it, he ran outside and kept going, breathing in as much fresh air as he could. Naruto needed to breathe. He needed space. School felt so claustrophobic. It tightened its grip on him like a vice until he felt like he was going to pass out.

He ran so for long. He didn't know where he was going. Naruto just needed to run. He just wanted the thrill of running. He felt so sad...so angry, it was just something he needed to do to vent.

He stopped for a moment to look up at the Sun.

Even in his dark hour, its radiant warmth still chose to evade him.

* * *

"Naruto? Naruto please come out right now!"

As soon as he got back from school, he had locked himself in his own room without saying a word to anyone. Soon after everyone else got back, some weasel told the Sisters what had happened during school, and without warning, they had rushed to his door and they wouldn't leave him alone. They wanted Naruto to _repent for his sins_, or some idiotic crap like that. He really wasn't in the mood to repent, and he definitely wasn't going to come out any time soon. It was their bloody fault for letting the orphans have locks on their doors anyway.

"Naruto, you must come out! We only wish to talk with you! Come and pray with us! Surely that will soothe your angered heart!"

"I don't believe in God Sister! I stopped believing a long time ago!" he yelled back.

"Ah! Of course you don't mean that! Let us come together and pray for God to absolve us!"

"Fuck off!"

They silenced themselves after that, though Naruto swore he could hear them murmur, 'devil child' through the door. He didn't care. As far as he was concerned, they could say whatever the hell they liked to him. He was still not going to come out.

It grew dark quicker than Naruto thought it would. He thought about his father, Kiba, everything. He thought about Sora. _He would probably already be at the nightclub by now, after sneaking out through his bedroom window to see Towa_, he thought to himself. He hoped that Sora would have fun, but he couldn't help but feel jealous. About the fact that Sora had a life and he didn't. It was true that Sora was an orphan too, but he was still able to live his life to the fullest. He knew the cause of _his_ parent's deaths. Naruto didn't. He had closure a long time ago. Naruto still could not let go. How was he able to go on living the way he was, after everything that had happened to him, and Naruto still could not? Sora was lucky. Naruto guessed _he_ just wasn't.

He stroked his mother's necklace with a single finger. She wanted him to be free and enjoy life. But didn't she know that he couldn't do that? She had doomed him to live a miserable life as soon as she had walked out of the door. And as for a free life, that dream was growing too distant. Naruto was unsure if he could ever be truly free. It was a dream that he thought he could never hope to achieve.

He was doomed to be a trapped butterfly for the rest of his life. It was simply fate.

* * *

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and immediately regretted doing so, when the bright sunlight burned his eyeballs. He hissed and held his hand up against his eyes, shielding them from the Sun's deathly rays. That was when he realized. It was morning. He had fallen asleep.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a very deep breath. It was another day of school, and Naruto had to go back and explain why he ran out. That was something he definitely wasn't looking forward to.

He stood up and was about to start getting ready, when he finally noticed a loud murmur from outside of his room. Of course Naruto was curious, so he carefully undid the lock and stepped outside. Almost everyone was outside in the corridor. He sighed. _Yep,_ he thought,_ this was more like normal._

Naruto turned around to go back inside, when suddenly Kiba ran straight into him and nearly tripped him up. He was about to shout at Kiba for being so clumsy, but when he saw his face, Naruto became immediately concerned. He looked extremely worried.

"Kiba, what is it? Is everything okay?" Naruto asked.

"It's Sora. He hasn't come home! Someone saw him going out last night and he hasn't come back!" Kiba shouted.

"What? He hasn't come back?"

"Yeah! And some people are saying Towa hasn't come home either! Her mum's been worried sick and everyone's panicking! Ru-Ru, I don't know what to do! I'm scared!"

Kiba threw his arms around Naruto and started crying. He couldn't believe how childish Kiba was acting. He had never acted this strongly since...since their father died. Naruto gasped quietly to himself. He wrapped his arms around Kiba and pulled him as tightly to his body as he could. Naruto knew why he was crying so much. He was afraid. Afraid that Sora and Towa were going to die, just like their father had, when he had left that night, two years ago, and never came back.

"Kiba. They are going to be just fine. Don't you worry...okay?" he whispered softly.

Kiba nodded but did not stop crying. Naruto knew yet again that Kiba didn't believe him. But he couldn't blame him.

Naruto didn't believe himself either.

"Do you want to come inside?" he asked Kiba with a smile.

He looked up at Naruto, tears still running down his soft cheeks, his eyes red and blotchy, and gave him a small nod. Naruto wrapped one arm around his shoulders and led Kiba inside his room. He sat him down on his bed and made sure he was alright, before starting to get ready for school.

With all of his clothes in hand, he was about to go to the bathroom when he suddenly noticed something in Kiba's hands. It was a book, with a deep crimson leather cover. It looked quite old, and there was something about it Naruto didn't like.

"Kiba...where did you get that?" Naruto asked him, edging towards Kiba to give the book a closer look.

"It was something else I found in with the boxes full of stuff from our home," he said quietly, "I saw it, and I wanted it. Though...I don't really know what it's about."

"You little crook!" Naruto chuckled, sitting down beside him, "Wait-what do you mean you don't know what it's about? Have you read it?"

"Well, I can't really read the writing very well, and the stuff I can read is all about this family. It has floor plans of their house and keeps mentioning something about, 'Blood Moon'."

"'Blood Moon'? What the heck is that? Let me see that book..."

He took the book from Kiba's hands and flicked through its yellowed pages. On the outside, the book didn't look too old, about fifty years he guessed. But the pages inside told him that it was much older. At least twice that long. The writing was handwritten. And once again Naruto recognized that familiar handwriting.

"This is Mom's!" he exclaimed.

"What seriously?!" Kiba asked excitedly.

He scanned the pages, curious as to why their mother would mention something called, 'Blood Moon' and would draw floor plans of someone's house. It made her sound like some kind of criminal. Although, at that moment it time, Naruto wasn't really sure what their mother was like. After reading her letter, he realized he didn't know her very well at all. For all he knew she could have been a criminal.

He flicked through page after page, but he just couldn't read the writing. It wasn't like the writing on the note. This writing was...rushed. As if she was in some kind of hurry, or maybe even scared for some reason. He kept checking every page to try and see if he could make out something she had written. It was only until Naruto saw a picture, or rather, the name of a picture, that he realized what it was about.

Written in scrawled handwriting that he could barely just make out, underneath a drawing of four people dressed in very strange clothing, and all with stone cold expressions was the sentence:

**_This is a picture of the Uchiha family. It is a painting that is hanging on the right wall in their Main Hall. They are to be feared._**

Their mother was infatuated with the Uchiha family, just like Taro and countless others were. Naruto couldn't believe it.

_ Why the hell did she write, **'they are to be feared'**? What was so scary about them? My mother didn't actually believe the stories...did she?_

"So...what is it?" Kiba asked.

"It's about...the Uchihas."

"Seriously? The Uchihas?"

"You know about them?"

"Of course I do. Everybody does. They were a vampire family who died like two hundred years ago. Why? Did Mom write something about them?"

"To start off with, the Uchihas weren't vampires Kiba. They were just antisocial. **(5) **And secondly, Mom didn't just write _something_ about them. The whole _book _is about them! From start to finish!" Naruto exclaimed, flicking through the pages and finally noticing the word, 'Uchiha' scrawled on each one.

"They _were_ vampires! Everyone keeps saying so! And they might not even be wiped out yet!" Kiba yelled.

"...What?"

"...Some people say that...they are still alive up there. And...Dad died because...one of them-"

"Kiba, I don't wanna hear anymore," Naruto growled, slamming the book shut.

"But I believe them!"

"I know you do! You've said the same thing ever since Dad died! But he didn't die that way!"

"Then how did he die? Tell me that Ru-Ru!"

"You know no one has a clue!"

"Exactly! Because no one has thought of the most logical explanation! No one believes in them, and that's how they get away with it!"

"Enough Kiba!"

"But don't you see? They're probably up there in their mansion all smug because they can get away with murder 'cause no body believes in them-"

"I said ENOUGH!"

Kiba flinched and lowered his head until Naruto could not see his eyes past his long auburn bangs. Naruto had never shouted at him like that before. He could just imagine the look on Kiba's face. That same look he had when he had told Kiba their father had died. That torturous look. Full of sadness, pain...and betrayal.

"Kiba...I'm sorry-"

"Don't worry about it," he replied quietly, not meeting Naruto's gaze.

They stayed in silence for a little while. An uncomfortable silence that Naruto had never felt when he had been around Kiba before. It was..._unnerving _to put it nicely.

Suddenly, Naruto was hit with a stroke of genius. It was perfect.

"Kiba...How about we...go and see the Uchiha Mansion up close?" he asked, a small, smug smile on his face.

He could see the surprise on Kiba's face when he looked up at him. He smirked. Kiba was beginning to get interested.

"But...why?"

"You said you believed in vampires, right? Well let's go up there and see if the Uchihas are still there after two hundred years. If they are, then I'll admit that you were right, and I will hunt them down for you if you want."

"Are you serious?" he asked wide-eyed.

"Would I lie to you?" Naruto smirked playfully.

"Wow Ru-Ru!" Kiba yelled jumping up and down, completely forgetting what had just happened, "We can hunt down vampires?!"

"Sure Lil' Bro, anything you want..."

"Awesome! Let's skip school today and go! Then we can check it out first before it gets dark! We have to try and convince the Sisters we're ill, so we have an excuse not to go to school, without getting into any trouble!"

"Sure."

Kiba ran straight for his room to begin collecting various useless items that he thought he would need for a vampire hunting expedition. All Naruto could do was sit on his own bed and suppress the rising chuckle from within him.

_I get out of going to school and I get to prove everyone how wrong they are about our father's death. I guess it's a win-win situation for me..._

* * *

"Ru-Ru! Hurry up damn it!"

Naruto sauntered up the steep hill leading towards the old Uchiha mansion. His legs ached and he couldn't breathe at all. He cursed Kiba for his hyperness. He wondered where the hell his little brother got the energy to be so damned demanding, let alone annoying. He was trying his hardest damn it! After all, he was stuck carrying Kiba's stupid rucksack full of junk for, 'vampire extermination' that he insisted that they take with them.

"Kiba, shut up. I'm going...as fast as...I can. And where the hell do you...get off speaking like that?" Naruto panted.

"It's not my fault your so slow Ru-Ru! And you say 'damn it' all of the time, so why can't I?"

"It's 'cause your the little one and I can't let you speak like that. It's not do as I do, it's do as I say!"

"But you _do_ _say_ 'damn it' though..." Kiba whined.

"Shut up Kiba..."

They continued their hike up the hillside until finally they reached the top. They were incredibly high up, and when Naruto looked out towards the town, everything looked so small. Nothing really stuck out at all. It looked like such a boring town, with rows and rows of identical buildings that stretched on for miles. He was glad he could spend a day away from that place.

"Ru-Ru? Are you coming?" Kiba asked.

Naruto turned to Kiba, who was waiting impatiently in front of the door. He nodded slowly and walked up towards the Gothic castle. In broad daylight, the castle itself did not look very scary. However, Naruto knew that as soon as it got dark, it would look terrifying, with its stone gargoyles and its spindling towers that looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie. He grabbed the brass knobs of the old oak doors and pulled them sharply, but for some reason, the doors would not open.

"Damn old doors..." he cursed, "Kiba, would you give me a hand?"

Kiba rushed to Naruto's side, and grabbed one of the door knobs, whilst Naruto had a firm grip on the other.

"Ready?" Naruto asked, "Three, two, one, PULL!"

They yanked the door knobs, and strangely they opened almost immediately, sending Naruto and Kiba flying backwards onto their asses.

"Ow..." Naruto groaned.

"Ru-Ru what the hell was that?! They opened straight away! Are you that weak?" Kiba chuckled.

"Brat..." Naruto growled, rubbing his aching ass.

Kiba howled with laughter, until he noticed something peculiar. There was a cloud of twirling dust flowing out of the entrance to the castle. Tendrils of it snaked around his ankles and wormed its way up his nostrils, making him cough and splutter. It was a thick cloud that covered the ground, nearly suffocating Naruto, who was still laying down on the earth.

"Ru-Ru...what is that?" Kiba asked as Naruto was choking on the ground.

"I...dunno...but it's definitely...weird," Naruto replied, having to pause several times to cough.

"You're telling me.."

"C'mon Kiba, let's go. The sooner we get this over and done with, the sooner we can go home," Naruto said, picking himself off of the ground after he finally finished choking.

The both edged towards the castle entrance, Kiba clinging tightly onto Naruto's shirt in worry. Naruto felt slightly nervous himself, and felt like cowering behind Kiba, but he was the big brother. After all, big brothers weren't supposed to be scared of anything.

Naruto poked his head through the door and muttered, "We're coming in.." before ushering himself and Kiba inside.

They took a few small steps into what Naruto assumed was the Main Hall. It was absolutely enormous; ten times, or even twenty times bigger than his room at the orphanage. The floor was made of pure marble; the ceiling was decorated with intricate pictures of angels, which surprised Naruto, since the outside looked so scary. The walls that must have been a deep crimson long ago, were now a faded soft red. In front of them was a huge staircase with so many large steps, Naruto couldn't count them all. The staircase branched off three separates ways: one to the right, one to the left, and one that went forward, leading to another large oak door, only this one was decorated in swirls of gold.

"Wow...these guys really were rich..." Naruto gasped.

"Ru-Ru! Come over here a second! I found that painting in Mom's book!" Kiba exclaimed.

Naruto turned to Kiba who was jumping up and down and pointing to a painting on the wall. As Naruto got closer, he realized that it was in fact the same painting that their mother had drawn in her book. He wandered towards the painting to give it a closer look.

Just like in their Mom's book, there were four people: a broad shouldered man with deep set eyes; a long haired woman with a stony expression; a young boy with just as long hair pulled back into a low hanging ponytail; and an even younger boy with short choppy hair. They all had such cold eyes, but in Naruto's opinion they didn't look sad. They looked...no. He couldn't come up with a word for it. They just looked..._comfortable _as they were to him. Although, he couldn't understand why four miserable, grumpy gits would feel comfortable looking so cold.

"The Uchiha Family. Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi and Sasuke," Kiba announced.

"How the hell do you know that?" Naruto asked curiously.

"There's a name plate at the bottom of this thing. It says, 'The Uchiha Family. Fugaku, Mikoto and their two children, Itachi and Sasuke. Dated, 1783," Kiba replied, looking quite proud of himself for noticing it.

"1783? Wow...if they're still alive they must be ancient by now..."

"Idiot! Vampires don't age! They stay young for eternity! Don't you know anything Ru-Ru?"

"Oh sorry I didn't pay much attention in Vampire Studies at school. Though I am passing Werewolf Social Skills if that makes any difference," Naruto replied sarcastically.

"Seriously? They teach that in your class?!"

"You are such an idiot..."

Naruto shook his head and began walking towards the stairs, followed by a very flustered Kiba. They decided first off all that they would go right and search that area of the castle for any, 'vampire activity' and then search the rest of the castle afterwards. Kiba insisted if they could not search the entire castle in one day that they should come back the next day and continue their search. However, as Naruto spent more and more time in the castle, he became very uneasy, and hoped that their trip would only last one day.

Kiba enjoyed wandering through the many corridors and rooms in the castle. It was like one massive maze that you could lose yourself in, something else that made Naruto very uncomfortable. He didn't want to go searching for Kiba through the castle in the dark.

They had searched the entire right side and had searched about half of the left side by the time the Sun began to set in the horizon. However, most of the rooms that Naruto and Kiba had tried to search were locked from the inside, so it wasn't exactly a 'thorough' search. Naruto walked into one the remaining rooms when he noticed the setting Sun through a window. He was about to turn around and get Kiba so they could go home, but instead, he found himself looking around the room. He didn't know why he wanted to; he guessed he was just curious. Next to the window on the right side was a large four poster bed, with a purple silk hanging curtain draped over it. On the left side was a writing desk covered in random pieces of paper, several bottles of ink, and a hoard of quills. When Naruto got closer, he also saw there was a small shattered mirror on the desk, one that ladies used back in the old days, Naruto assumed. He wondered why it was shattered, and was about to pick it up, when Kiba poked his head from around the corner and yelled at him, sending Naruto sky high.

"C'mon Ru-Ru! The Sun is setting! I don't wanna be here when it gets dark!" he shouted.

Naruto pressed his hand up against his chest to feel his rapid heartbeat. "Kiba, don't **ever** do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Never mind Ru-Ru! Just c'mon!"

Kiba ran forward, grabbed Naruto's hand and yanked him out of the room before Naruto could say another word. They both quickly made their way through the corridors, trying to remember which way was the way out. When Kiba couldn't remember, he began to get very scared, since the Sun was setting more and more by each passing minute. Naruto stopped, bent down, picked Kiba up and held him in his arms. Naruto cooed softly to Kiba, telling him everything was alright, before he continued his journey through the castle. Kiba buried his head deep in the crook of Naruto's neck, his eyes screwed tightly shut. Naruto groaned. He couldn't believe he had been such an idiot, suggesting they should go into the old Uchiha Mansion. The Sun started to vanish behind the distant mountains, and shadows began appearing slowly from behind ordinary objects, twisting their shapes into something grotesquely terrifying. They made Naruto's heart skip a beat. Even he was beginning to get scared.

"Kiba, just keep your eyes shut for me, okay? Just keep them closed for me.." Naruto whispered, his voice sounding somewhat panicked.

Naruto broke into a run, desperate to find the exit as quickly as possible. It was taking forever, and before he realized it, the moonlight was his only source of light. The Sun had completely vanished, and they were almost surrounded by darkness.

"Oh shit..." he hissed.

"What is it Ru-Ru?"

"Nothing bro, just keep your eyes closed."

Naruto squinted through the darkness, and sighed in relief when he saw the steps leading down to the main staircase. Grinning madly, he ran straight for them, trying his best to ignore the shadows from all directions and the creaks and groans that seemed to echo from all sides.

He raced down the stairs, taking two at a time, until he finally reached the bottom. He smiled. Everything was going to be okay.

Naruto took a single step, and then froze. He could have sworn he heard a door open, but that wasn't possible. _It was probably the wind or something_, he thought nervously. Then he heard a gasp. He knew that could not have been the wind.

"What are you doing here!?" a loud voice demanded.

Naruto tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from, but he could not see a thing through the pitch black darkness. He wondered how the hell he could have been seen, until he realized he was standing in a large strip of moonlight coming from a window behind him, towards the golden door. But then he thought something else; something that made him panic.

Who the hell was still living in the Uchiha Mansion?

"Who are you!?" the voice called again.

"What's happening Ru-Ru?" Kiba asked quietly, his little voice shaking with fear.

"Um..I'm sorry! My brother and I came in here just to look around!" Naruto yelled, not knowing which direction to focus his apology on, "We didn't know that someone was in here still! We would have left earlier, but we got a little lost! I hope you can for-"

"That doesn't matter now!" the voice interrupted, "You have to get out of here! NOW!"

Naruto flinched. Why the hell was this guy getting so touchy? He had said he was sorry. And why was he so urgent about getting rid of them? What was the immediate rush? Naruto didn't want to stay any longer in the mansion than he had to, that was for certain, but why did this guy want them gone so quickly?

"Didn't you hear me? I said go!"

Naruto heard footsteps from his left and immediately turned towards the sound. Naruto didn't want the guy to come any closer. What if he had a weapon? Then they were screwed.

He was surprised when a girlish looking guy emerged from the shadows. He had long, blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He wore simple clothes; a loose black shirt and matching trousers. He looked like he was in his early twenties, possibly younger. His eyes were grey, one was hardly visible because a long blonde fringe almost covered most of it. His eyes were full of..._concern?_ _No_, Naruto thought, _that just couldn't be it. Could it?_** (6)**_  
_

"Who...who are you?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Never mind that kid! You have to get out of here! They're going to be down here in a minute and when they are-"

A loud bang echoed through the Main Hall. It sounded like a door had just blown open. Naruto watched as the young man's expression turned from angered concern, to sheer horror.

"No time," he murmured, "You! Quickly! Come with me!"

The young man ran towards Naruto and began pushing him away from the exit. Instead, he led them towards a smaller door.

"What the hell are you doing? Get off of me!" Naruto shouted.

"Keep your voice down! Listen, you have to go in here, understand? Stay in here and be quiet!" he hissed.

He shoved Naruto and Kiba into what appeared to be an old closet. It was full of weird contraptions, some broken and left forgotten at the back of shelves, or piled into a large scrap heap in the corner. There was no source of light in there, and once the door was shut, they would not be able to see a thing. Naruto could barely see anything anyway, even with the moonlight shining through the doorway.

Naruto turned around to face the young man and said, "What the hell are you trying to do? My brother is scared to death and we just wanna leave! Why are you-"

"I apologize," the man interrupted Naruto for the second time that evening, "I didn't mean to get angry with you. But please just stay quiet in here until I come and get you. Please," he pleaded.

He quickly shut the door, and everything was immediately submerged in darkness. Panic gripped Naruto tightly, but he tried to push every negative thought to the back of his mind. His heart felt like it was lodged somewhere in his throat.

"Ru-Ru? What's going on?" Kiba asked, shivering slightly in Naruto's arms.

"I don't know Kiba," was all that Naruto could say.

He carefully placed Kiba on the ground and sat down next to him. As soon as Kiba opened his eyes and saw that it was dark, he freaked out and starting yelling, burying himself in Naruto's chest.

"Ssssh Kiba. That guy told us to be quiet right? Well if we do what he says then we can leave sooner, okay?" Naruto cooed.

He held Kiba close to him and rocked slowly backwards and forwards, as he tried to stay as calm as possible. He began humming a quiet, soothing tune, and then began to sing a soft lullably. The one their mother used to sing to them, long ago...

_Are you lost, little one? Why do you cry?  
Does the darkness scare you on this cold Winter's night?  
Come into my arms and become one with me.  
With me you can be safe and warm-_

Naruto stopped singing as he heard footsteps from beyond the door. Kiba stiffened in Naruto's arms as he heard them too. Was it the young man from before? Naruto wasn't sure.

"Good evening, Deidara-kun," a low, quiet voice said. **(7)**

Naruto flinched and his eyes widened. That voice made his heart flutter and his legs turn into jelly. Why was that? He didn't know. It just sounded...terrifying, and yet enticing at the same time.

"Lord Itachi-sama, good evening. Did you sleep well?"

Naruto recognized that voice. It was the young man, Deidara, or whatever his name was. He also recognized the other name. Itachi. Where had he heard it from before?

_"The Uchiha Family. Fugaku, Mikoto and their two children, Itachi and Sasuke."_

Itachi. That was the name of one of those Uchiha kids. Naruto gasped. But...there was no way. It couldn't be the same person. There was just no way.

"Itachi? Ru-Ru, he's that Uchiha! From 1783! I knew it Ru-Ru! They _are_ vampires!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Kiba they are not vampires! More than two people can have the same name! This doesn't prove anything!" Naruto hissed quietly.

"But Ru-Ru-"

"Shush. We need to be quiet!"

Naruto pressed his ear up against the door in curiosity, and heard the man called Itachi say, "Yes. Indeed I did Deidara-kun. Is dinner ready?"

"Of course Itachi-sama," Deidara replied, "But where is Sasuke-sama?"

"Sasuke! The other Uchiha kid!" Kiba said.

Naruto waved his hand at Kiba to shush him, but only heard, "-is a lazy one, my little otouto."

"Itachi-sama, if you will allow it, then I will go and finish dinner preparations."

"Of course Deidara-kun. Hurry though, I am feeling quite hungry tonight."

He heard one pair of footsteps grow faint as 'Deidara' left to finish dinner. Another pair of footsteps grew louder as 'Itachi' walked down the marble steps of the Uchiha Mansion. Naruto pulled himself towards the keyhole so he could get a better look at Itachi's face, leaving Kiba right behind him, holding onto one of his hands to make sure he was still there.

When Naruto peered through the keyhole, once he had found it, he could hardly see a thing. The moonlight was still the only source of light in the Main Hall, and it was beginning to piss him off.

"It's too dark in here," Itachi said softly, "I need some light."

Suddenly candles flickered to life and the entire hall was brightened by the warm glow of fire. Some of that glow crept through the cracks of the door, so Naruto and Kiba were able to see better than they could before. Naruto jumped. How the hell had he done that? He hadn't even moved!

"That's much better.." he whispered softly, which sent a shiver up Naruto's spine.

Naruto pushed himself up closer to the keyhole so he could get a proper look at the man. He looked exactly like the Itachi Uchiha in the painting. He had long, black hair that was tied in a low ponytail with a single crimson ribbon. He wore a large black cloak that trailed along the floor, and the collar stuck up so it covered most of his neck, except for at the front where it was fastened with a silver chain. Underneath his cloak, Naruto could see a red waistcoat, and underneath that was a bright, white linen shirt. He wore jet black breeches and bright white stockings underneath. On his feet were ankle high boots that were tied up to the top. In Naruto's opinion, he looked like something out of one of his history textbooks at school.

"Ah, otouto. What a pleasure it is to see you. Just risen from your slumber, correct?" Itachi called.

Naruto's attention was immediately drawn to another figure standing on the marble steps. He had short choppy black hair, and his fringe almost covered his dark eyes. He wore the same kind of clothes as Itachi, only his were less Gothic. His waistcoat was a beige colour, and was decorated with golden swirls, unlike Itachi's blood red one. And he, unlike Itachi, did not wear a cloak for some reason. What was reason was, Naruto had no idea. When he looked closely at this figure, he realized he looked like the other boy from the painting. Sasuke, if he remembered correctly. _He must have been the person that Deidara...or whatever, was talking about_, Naruto thought to himself.

"Yes oniisama," Sasuke replied, "I apologize for being late."

"Come now otouto, could you at least try calling me 'aniki' once in a while?"

_Aniki? What the hell did that mean? And otouto? Oniisama? What kind of language was that? _**(8)**

"No oniisama, I will not," Sasuke said quite sternly.

"Oh well," Itachi replied, sounding quite depressed, "Come down Sasuke. Deidara-kun will be out with dinner any moment now."

He stepped down the marble staircase and joined his brother in the middle of the Main Hall. They both stood together in a silence that would usually seem unbearable to normal people, but for some reason they looked...content. It was quite strange to put it simply.

Naruto heard some rustling beside him and felt something touch his leg. He nearly jumped out of his skin, but Kiba just giggled silently as he crept past to look through a crack in the door.

"Kiba, what the hell are you doing!?" Naruto asked, quietly screeching.

"I wanna see too! It's not fair that you get to look and I don't!" Kiba whined.

"Okay fine! Just keep quiet, alright?" Naruto said, before turning back round to stare once more through the keyhole.

Itachi and Sasuke stood there for a few more moments in complete silence, until a door that Naruto had never noticed before opened, and Deidara walked out, carrying two wooden chairs. He placed them in the center of the room, one in front of Sasuke, and the other in front of Itachi. Deidara quickly bowed before heading back through the door. Itachi lifted a hand and began to unclasp the silver chain on his cloak. Once the silver chain was undone, the cloak slipped off of his shoulders onto the floor behind him.

"We shall feast soon otouto. Are you hungry?" he asked Sasuke.

"..._Starved_," he hissed quietly.

The haunting hiss of the younger boy made Naruto gulp, though he felt stupid. Why was he getting so scared all of a sudden? And why could he feel a demonic aura surrounding those two?

Deidara pushed the door open quite suddenly, and with such force it ricocheted off of the red wall behind it. He slowly made his way towards Itachi and Sasuke, holding two large motionless lumps, one in each hand. He was dragging them across the floor. Naruto wondered what the hell was going on, until he heard a sudden groan from one of the lumps.

"There's...just no way..." he murmured.

"Finally. Thank you Deidara-kun," Itachi said.

"Of course Itachi-sama, Sasuke-sama," Deidara replied in a quiet mumble.

He placed the two lumps on separate chairs and stood far back, his head bowed. Kiba couldn't see what they were very well through the crack in the door, but as he turned to ask Naruto what they were, he froze when he saw the state his big brother was in.

Naruto was shaking violently; his eyes widened almost comically as he stared at the scene before him. His mouth opened and closed slowly several times, as if he wanted to say something, but any words just eluded him. The sight of his brother like this made Kiba very, very worried.

"Ru-Ru? What-"

He stopped as he heard a soft groan through the door. He quickly rushed back into his position on the floor and looked once more through the door crack. One of the lumps was moving. It shifted slightly on its chair, and then lifted its...head? It was a person! But-

Kiba's heart missed a beat. A single drop of sweat trickled down his brow.

Sitting in the two chairs, were Sora and Towa.

_Why are they here? I don't understand...They must have been kidnapped by these guys! What have they done to them?_

"W-what? Where...am I?" Sora croaked, his gaze distant and blurred.

"Apologies for the rough treatment, little one. We did not mean for you to get hurt..." Itachi whispered into Sora's ear, crouching down so their faces were almost touching.

"What? W-who...are..."

Sora was slowly flickering in and out of consciousness. He was obviously badly hurt, or incredibly weak. His arms hung loosely at his sides, and his head suddenly lolled backwards. His breathing was slow and ragged; Itachi knew that the boy would not last long. And so did Naruto.

"His light is dimming, oniisama. I can feel his heartbeat slowing with each passing moment," Sasuke muttered to his brother.

"Yes, otouto, it appears you are correct. Well...shall we begin?"

Itachi leaned in towards Sora and undid his shirt collar so that his neck was in perfect view. Moving in front of him, Itachi wrapped one thin arm around Sora's back, pulling him off of his chair slightly, and with his free hand, he cupped Sora's cheek.

"Be at peace now. The pain of this world will not last long."

Naruto did not have a clear enough view, but he could tell immediately what was about to happen. He reached out to Kiba in an attempt to shield his eyes and ears, but it was too late. In an instant, Sora let out a high pitched scream as Itachi sank large white fangs deep into his unprotected neck. Naruto cringed as he heard the sickening squelch of blood spurt from his wounds onto the floor, staining the pure white marble. Kiba watched in horror as Itachi drank greedily from Sora, draining him of all of his blood. Some blood dripped out of Itachi's mouth and trickled down his chin and neck, until it seeped into his linen shirt. Sasuke then bent towards his own 'dinner' and proceeded in biting Towa too. She also let out an ear-piercing screech, but it was as if Sasuke did not noticed. He continued to drain her, even when her body began twitching, and a little blood ran out of her open mouth.

"Sora...Towa..." Kiba whispered in shock.

He grabbed the sides of his head and tightly closed his eyes. He couldn't control the shakes that ran through his body. He felt like he was going to throw up. And no matter how hard he tried, the mental images, the screams of pain...he couldn't get them out of his head.

He opened his mouth to scream, but Naruto immediately dragged him backwards, pinning his arms down with one arm, and putting a hand over Kiba's mouth with the other. He kicked and struggled, shouting into Naruto's sweaty palm, but Naruto refused to let go. He couldn't let them get heard. If those..._monsters _ever knew that they were in there...It meant the end for them both.

Panic and fear gripped him once more. The smell of blood clogged his nostrils and made him want to gag. The demonic aura grew so fierce it felt almost suffocating. He wanted to charge at those vampires for hurting Sora and Towa, and yet...

He wanted to run. To take Kiba and run as far and as fast as his legs would take him. A static shock coursed through his system. Now there was no hope in running. This sudden electric charge sent him into a place where fear controls all rational thought. He could no longer think. His brain turned to jelly. Naruto lost his focus, and that was all it took. His grip weakened on Kiba, and he was sent flying backwards into the shelves behind him. There was a loud crash. Naruto silently gasped.

"...What was that, Deidara-kun?" Itachi asked, releasing his fangs from Sora's bloodied neck.

_Fuck._

"Oniisama...it appears we have some sort of disturbance," Sasuke muttered, wiping blood from his chin.

"It's probably just a rat Itachi-sama. This castle has many holes that rats can...crawl through," Deidara replied, his voice shaking from nervousness.

Naruto sat still, his knees knocking from pure adrenaline. He couldn't breathe. He didn't dare breathe.

"Otouto...do you smell that?"

_Smell what?_

"Yes oniisama...I do."

Itachi chuckled a haunting, cruel laugh. It made Naruto feel like his heart had stopped.

"_Fresh blood_."

Naruto gulped. The way Itachi had said that...with such menace. It was horrifying.

"I-Itachi-sama," Deidara stuttered, "It's probably from your dinner. So why don't you-"

"No Deidara-kun. It smells different. _Tastier,_" Itachi hissed.

Sasuke smirked. "It appears our little rat has cut himself. Poor thing..."

Naruto's eyes widened. He looked over at Kiba, who was staring at him as he sat in a heap on the floor, shaking and whimpering.

Naruto mouthed to Kiba, _"Did you-"_

Kiba slowly shook his head, and pointed to Naruto's left arm. "Look..." he whispered.

Naruto slowly turned his head and looked down at his left arm. He lifted his right hand and brushed it carefully against his shoulder. He curled his hand into a fist. He felt something wet and warm seep through his fingers.

He opened his hand. And he saw it. The bright crimson stain on his skin could not be denied.

Blood.

"Kiba, get away from the door!"

Kiba scurried over to his brother and cowered behind him, burying his head in his back. Tears trickled slowly down his flushed cheeks. He had heard everything, _seen_ everything. He felt nauseous. He felt scared. His body was shaking so violently. But he could not feel a thing. He felt numb.

_Is this what it felt like to be truly scared?_

_Is this how father felt, before he died?_

"Kiba, you stay behind me, okay?" Naruto asked, staying as quiet as he could, as if there was some hope that they could still make it out alive.

"It's too quiet..." Naruto murmured.

He began to crawl closer to the door, so Kiba clutched his shoulders tightly in his quivering hands. He didn't want to be left alone. He was scared.

"Don't go!" he whined.

Naruto ignored his little brother's desperate pleas and wormed his way out of Kiba's grip. Once he was right next to the keyhole again, he took a deep, calming breath, and peered through the hole.

And that was when he screamed.

A single, blood red eye glared at him through the other side of the keyhole. It burned passionately with the intense fire of blood lust. Naruto wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He was rooted to the spot.

Itachi chuckled a cold, cruel laugh, one that sent shivers down Naruto's spine.

_"Hello...little rat."_

* * *

**(1) **Yep it's the same Sora from 'Thoughts of a Broken Soul' if you have read my other fic. He's still hyper, but doesn't keep talking about alcohol and sex as much. -Sigh- Life goes on...  
**(2) **Towa is not the girl from DN Angel. The name is the same, but she's a different character.  
**(3)** I wanted Naruto's ickle brother to give him a cutesy nickname. And so, Ru-Ru was born! 'Cause his name is Na**RU**to...so Kiba wanted to call him Ru-Ru...it's cute...right?  
**(4)** This necklace is based on one I bought a couple of days ago. I haven't stopped wearing it! It was £1.49 I think...XD  
**(5)** The best line! XD I laughed even whilst I was typing that! Yes, 'cause everyone mistakes antisocial people for vampires...XD  
**(6) **Three guesses who that is...If you guess right before they mention his name I'll give you a cyber cookie in the next chapter...To some people it will be mega easy, so I think I'll be giving out a LOT of cyber cookies...XD  
**(7) **Did anyone get it? -smiles- It was kind of easy I guess...  
**(8) **Naruto and Kiba are not Japanese. They are American. They know a few suffixes like 'kun' and 'chan' but 'sama', 'aniki', 'oniisama' etc. they have no clue what they mean. Yes their names are Japanese, and a few people in their town are Japanese, but they live in an unimportant **American** town. I hope that helps you with Naruto's confusion.

So what do you guys think? I tried to make the story as scary as possible. If there is any advice you would like to give, then please do, because I want to make this story as enjoyable for you guys as possible! It's what I'm here for!

The Uchiha boys aren't diabolically evil, like mad scientist 'I wanna kill everyone just 'cause I like bloodshed' evil. They are just evil, as in, 'I want to torture you first because that makes me happy' evil. So really, they are quite diabolical...They are a dynamic duo!

The lullaby that Naruto sings is my own creation. I spent AGES coming up with it, and I'm really glad how it turned out. It's haunting to those who hear it the first time, but a comfort to those who grew up with it...If that makes sense...If you liked it that much, and are wondering where the whole lullaby is, (because Naruto got interrupted part way through) don't worry. The whole lullaby will be sung in the next chapter.

So please review, leave comments and what not. If you want to give advice then that is appreciated too. I hope that you enjoy this story and keep reading!

Well, until next time! Bye bye!


	3. Trapped, Both Body and Mind

Hello guys!! This is the next installment of As Red As Blood! I got positive reviews which made me SO happy!! Thank you guys so much for taking the time to review, it really means a lot. I know a lot of you were like, 'Oh my God A CLIFFHANGER?!' And yeah, I just wanted to torture you a little. But I didn't wanna be too cruel, so I decided I should post the next one now.

I guess there isn't much to say this time around, just that I hope you enjoy the chapter, and if you have got a majorly weak stomach, I suggest you don't read. It's just a little warning.

**DISCLAIMER!:** I don't own Naruto. Nope. No characters this time around are mine. It's depressing, but there will be one more character in this story that does belong to me, but she won't be showing up until later on. She's quite crucial to the story, but I can't tell you anything about her just yet. I have to keep my readers in suspense y'know...

P.S. Guys, I need your help. I know this is COMPLETELY off topic, but it's slightly urgent. There are two fanfics on this website, and I cannot remember what the hell they are called, but I know they are awesome. If you could give me the names of these fanfics, I would mega appreciate it.

1. Right. It has Naruto taking a Summer job in Akat Suki mental hospital, and Sasuke is a schizophrenic who is blind-folded and never speaks to anyone. And it also has Kimimaro singing a really creepy song from Silent Hill 4.

2. Naruto is a vampire hunter (I think) and he comes back to his base and finds that Sasuke, his old vampire lover, is leaving him presents and stuff in dead bodies or something. And Sai is sick, so they have to find an antidote in this creepy castle, (Naruto and Shikamaru) before it's too late. I can't believe I lost this one, 'cause I literally posted a review a couple of weeks ago...¬¬ I am very annoyed with myself. XD

If you guys could help me find these, I would love you for ever and stuff (not that I don't already, but I would really appreciate it ), and I would dedicate stuff to you, and I would sing a song...yeah...Oh and I would type faster for you guys, because I love you so much. (smiles) You guys are awesome...

Anyway, let's get on with the show!!

* * *

"What's your name..._little rat_?" Itachi hissed through the keyhole.

Naruto felt like he should answer, but he could not speak. All words just shriveled up and died in his throat. Looking into that crimson eye, filled with such sinister intent; filled with a hideous desire for bloodshed; it made his own blood run cold.

"What is it? _Cat got your tongue?_" he chuckled.

Itachi furled his fingers round the door knob and slowly pulled the door open, smirking as he heard a whimper escape from the little boy cowering behind the bleeding blond. Once it was fully open, he was able to properly gaze into bright ocean blue eyes, that were trying so hard to hide their obvious fear.

"Don't torture him _too_ much oniisama," Sasuke whispered, his gaze fixated hungrily on the blood trickling slowly down Naruto's tanned arm.

"I won't..." Itachi grinned, showing two rows of perfectly white, sharp teeth.

Naruto pushed Kiba further behind him, grabbing tightly onto his brother's t-shirt, just to make sure he was still there. Just to make sure he was still safe.

"Hello..._little rat_...what's your name?" Itachi asked, crouching down towards the two boys, intensifying his gaze.

Naruto stayed silent.

"Come now...let's not be rude shall we? I asked you your name. I believe that deserves an answer, no?"

"Itachi-sama," Deidara exclaimed, running over to stand next to his master, "They are just young ones! They do not yet understand the common courtesy to show to ones such as yourself! Please excuse their behaviour!"

"Oh I believe they do...they just believe us to be monsters," Itachi remarked, rising from his crouched position.

"Of course not-"

"You are monsters!" Naruto yelled, pushing his courage to its limit by glaring daggers into the vampire's bloodthirsty eyes.

Sasuke chuckled. "The rat has finally gained the courage to speak..."

Itachi walked slowly towards Naruto and Kiba, forcing the two boys backwards as he got closer and closer. The darkness increased as they were forced further away from the amber glow of the light, and as Itachi stepped further into the darkened shadows, his eyes shimmered and glowed a furious crimson, flashing fluorescently like cat's eyes, staring cruelly through the black abyss.

"How did you get in?" he asked, taking another step.

"Through the front door, how else?" Naruto replied sarcastically.

"Don't test our patience human," Sasuke growled, glaring.

"Where are your manners otouto? We need to treat our guests with respect. After all, when two fine young humans such as these come wandering into our midst, we must show them our hospitality," Itachi replied softly.

"What, like you did with Sora and Towa?" Naruto spat.

"Sora? Towa? Oh, you mean those _other _humans? Well, we have to eat. I thought you might understand. You eat meat correct? Well, why can't we? After all, it is...as you humans say..._the circle of life_."

"You bastard!" Naruto shouted, "Sora was my friend! And Towa was his! You had no bloody right to do that! What you did was sick! How could you?!"

Itachi chuckled cruelly and licked a speck of old blood off of his bottom lip.

"_Because I was hungry..._"

Kiba sobbed softly, burying his head into the back of his older brother's shirt. "Ru-Ru...they're scaring me..."

"Ru-Ru? That's a peculiar name little rat," Itachi said.

"It's Naruto to you!" Naruto replied angrily.

"Well Naruto-kun..." Itachi muttered quietly, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Itachi Uchiha, head of this household, and this is my brother, Sasuke Uchiha. We welcome you to our home."

"Hn," Sasuke remarked coldly when his name was mentioned.

"Don't try and put on all of those pleasantries to make us believe you're normal. You don't fool me," Naruto sneered.

"I am not trying to fool you at all Naruto-kun. I am just trying to be a good host. After all, I should be cross at you for trespassing on our most humble estate, should I not? Would that not be the..._normal _thing to feel?"

Naruto scoffed loudly. He knew the reason why the vampires were trying to strike up a conversation. Naruto was smart enough to know that they were just buying time, just trying to make their _prey _drop their guard.

But this was one prey that was going to fight back.

"You are no where near normal! You guys are a bunch of monsters! You're demons! You don't even know how to feel!" he shouted, staring Itachi right in the face, eyes shining with fake confidence.

"What? I am only trying to be polite and yet you act so coldly towards me. I am hurt Naruto-kun," Itachi muttered.

Naruto flinched slightly; he knew the bastard was only faking innocence and pain, yet it seemed so convincing.

Itachi sighed softly and edged closer to Naruto, "Grant me one last question Naruto-kun, for I am curious. Why were you in our home to begin with? What enticed you to wander through our ancient doors?"

Naruto refused to speak yet again, but Kiba did not stay so silent. "We were checking to see if you existed or not! So we decided to hunt for you!" Kiba squeaked, afraid of what might happen if he did not answer the vampire's question.

"Kiba!" Naruto hissed.

"Is that so?" Itachi smiled smugly, "Then, is that what this was for?"

Itachi lifted his arm and held Kiba's rucksack aloft, smirking triumphantly as a frightened expression crept across Naruto's face.

"How did he do that?" Kiba whispered, his eyes widened in horror and amazement.

"I had it with me..." Naruto muttered.

"Do not underestimate us," Sasuke said quietly, crossing his arms comfortably across his chest.

"You are monsters," Naruto spat, glaring into Sasuke's pleased face, trying to control his shaking figure, "And we're not going to stay here-"

Itachi quickly leaned in close to Naruto, stretching out his hand to stroke Naruto's cheek, smiling softly as Naruto slowly backed away from his touch.

"The blood compliments your skin perfectly Naruto-kun. You are truly a sight to behold. You are...beautiful...It would be such a shame to say goodbye so soon. I think we should let you stay a little longer..."

Naruto's eyes widened to an incredible size. His heart leaped into his throat.

"Feel yourself lucky. You can join us for dinner. We have not yet finished, and I believe we are now going to start our main course."

He carefully bent down on one knee and pressed himself close to Naruto's warm, quivering body. Itachi lifted one finger and caught a single, pure drop of blood that was dripping slowly down Naruto's arm. He smiled and pushed his finger delicately through his lips, moaning softly as the taste of hot blood dissolved on his tongue.

"I have not tasted blood as sweet as this in a long while. It is pure ecstasy," he whispered, licking his finger to remove any and all traces of that single, precious drop of blood from his skin.

Naruto felt something rush past him at an incredible speed, and in a flash, Kiba was wrenched from him. Before he even realized what was going on, he saw Kiba kicking and screaming in Sasuke's tight grip. He had one arm wrapped around Kiba's chest, pinning him to his own, and he used his free hand to softly caress Kiba's cheek and exposed neck. When Kiba refused to stop screaming, Sasuke clasped his free hand over Kiba's mouth, and pressed down tightly to mute his high-pitched cries.

"KIBA!" Naruto yelled, lunging towards Sasuke, in an attempt to pull his frightened young brother away from the vampire's clutches.

"No no Naruto-kun, don't be a bad boy now," Itachi chuckled, grabbing Naruto and pulling him close in a fierce embrace.

Naruto gasped; Itachi's fingers were like ice, sending a strong shockwave through his limbs, numbing his whole body. Goosebumps broke out all over his skin, and he could feel his figure tremble uncontrollably. But that was not all that he could feel as the vampire clutched Naruto tightly to his chest. There was also an incredibly strong claustrophobic sensation that suffocated Naruto; the deathly aura that was surrounding Itachi was almost palpable. It was almost as if it was choking him.

"Naruto-kun, you are shaking. Are you...afraid of me?" Itachi hissed menacingly into his ear.

Naruto shuddered. His words were just as cold as his touch.

"Do not fret, my dear little rat. You and your brother shall join your friends in the afterlife, where no more sorrow can befall you. I shall release your soul, from its mortal prison. You will no longer suffer the cruelty and hardships of this world."

He could no longer feel anything. His mind screamed at his body to move, but his muscles refused to do what they were commanded. His energy slowly began to slip away. It would not be long until he lost the will to live completely.

Naruto could see two pearl white fangs protrude from Itachi's mouth, readying themselves, longing to sink into his flesh. He wanted to throw up. The thought of all of that blood; the smell; the sea of burning crimson. He could not die that way. Not at the hands of some bloodthirsty monster.

Not like...his father did. **(1)**

It was do or die. And quite frankly, he wasn't ready to die.

"Y'know what?"

Itachi looked up at his prey, just as he was about to pierce his soft tanned skin. His eyes gleamed hungrily, but resisted the urge. He was willing to let the boy say his dying words before he did the necessary deed.

"You can fuck off you creep," Naruto croaked, smirking confidently, "'Cause I actually enjoy living, and I'm not going to die just yet."

Itachi's eyes widened as an elbow collided sharply with his ribs, sending him doubled over in pain. He had not felt such agony in quite some time, a few hundred years at least. The boy was strong. It was hard to believe such a blow could come from one so young. Why was he not still mesmerized under his spell?

Deidara gasped and ran to his master's side to check if he was alright, not even stopping to gaze at Naruto. Sasuke flinched as his brother was sent to his knees, though did not cry out. He kept his composure, holding on tightly to his hostage, wishing desperately for more blood.

"Kiba!" Naruto shouted, "Remember what I taught you?"

Kiba's expression immediately changed, from fear to one of pure devilishness and cheek. Screwing his eyes tightly shut, he opened his mouth as far as it would go, and bit down hard on the younger Uchiha's hand, breaking skin and drawing small droplets of blood.

"Argh!" he yelled, dropping Kiba in surprise, and gazing in wonder at his bleeding hand.

_Such a strong bite for one so small...that damn human brat!_ Sasuke growled inwardly.

Kiba chuckled innocently, before grabbing Naruto's hand tightly within his own. In their panic, they both ran towards the nearest door, not forgetting to take Kiba's rucksack with them, and flung it open. They were greeted by a flight of old, worn stairs, which they descended in their haste to escape without a second thought. Five seconds later, they vanished completely from sight.

Deidara ran towards the door, in an attempt to help the two human boys find a way out, but froze immediately when Itachi roared, "LEAVE THEM!"

He turned towards his master and stammered, "B-but my lord-"

"Do not go after them Deidara-kun. Otouto and I shall deal with them ourselves. Your assistance is not required," Itachi said coldly.

"Are you sure my lord? I can easily catch them for you," Deidara said, trying to hide his lie with a soft smile.

"No," Itachi sneered, making Deidara gulp, "I want to catch those brats myself. And besides, I enjoy the chase. Don't you, otouto?"

"Yes oniisama, I do," Sasuke chuckled menacingly.

* * *

"Ru-Ru, where are we going?!"

"I don't know Kiba! Just keep running!"

Going down the stone steps turned out to be a totally bad idea. When they both reached the end of the flight of stairs, they were greeted by a long corridor dimly lit with the warm glow of many torches, its walls and floors made from exactly the same stone as the crumbling steps. In immediate fear and panic, Naruto, whilst still grabbing Kiba's hand, fled down the corridor, not knowing exactly where he was going, just wishing he was somewhere far away from the bloodthirsty creatures that lurked upstairs. What Naruto did not know, was that there were more corridors, all made of the same stone, all of them identical. And very soon, they were lost.

"Where are we Ru-Ru!?" Kiba cried out, terrified that it was so dark, and terrified of the thought of two hungry vampires chasing after them.

"Shut up Kiba and let me think!" Naruto yelled in frustration.

Kiba immediately quietened. Naruto inwardly cursed himself for attacking Kiba in such a harsh manner, but he just couldn't seem to control his emotions. So many different feelings were whirling around inside of him, like a hurricane, far beyond the control of any mortal being, and left to spin in never ending chaos. He felt sick. The only thing he knew to do, was to run; to run as far as their legs would take them.

But he had no idea where the hell they were going. How could he? It wasn't like they had even discovered the vampire's underground labyrinth during their searching earlier, back when they thought they were safe from harm. There was no way they could find their way around-

Naruto gasped. The idea suddenly struck him like a lightning bolt. He stopped dead.

"Ru-Ru?" Kiba asked worriedly, afraid that his brother had finally given up hope.

Without warning, Naruto threw the rucksack he had clenched in his hand onto the floor, before getting down onto his knees and ripping it open. He curiously and hurriedly hunted around inside, searching for something in particular.

"Ru-Ru?" Kiba asked again, "What are you looking for?"

Naruto ignored Kiba, and continued searching for what they needed. When he found it, he felt like screaming for joy, but controlled himself. He did not want to make any noise, in case the vampires could tell exactly where they were.

"Ru-Ru?"

"Kiba," Naruto grinned, "We're going to get out of here."

"But how?" Kiba asked curiously.

"With this."

Naruto pulled his mother's crimson leather book out of Kiba's rucksack, and showed it to him. Kiba remained completely confused.

"I don't get it," he said.

"Idiot," Naruto remarked, "Mom was here wasn't she? She made a picture of the paintings and stuff right? Well, she also made drawings of the house's layout! So-"

"So that means there could be a map for down here!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Exactly. And that means, it should show us exactly where to go!"

"Well open it up!"

Naruto ripped the book open and tore through the pages, determined to find a map for the underground maze. It did not take him long to find it. He sighed in relief when he noticed his mother's neat handwriting on the page saying, _'Underground'_. He wasted no time in looking at the map, trying to determine exactly where they were, but this was no easy feat, to Naruto's annoyance. He cursed himself for not paying attention in Geography.

_Yeah, like Geography was going to prepare me for something like this, _he growled.

"Hurry up Ru-Ru!" Kiba howled.

"I know Kiba, shut up!" Naruto snapped, tracing each corridor on the map with his finger, trying to remember whether they turned left or right at certain points.

"Got it!" he announced, "We're right here!"

Naruto pointed to a certain location on the map. "And by reading this note from Mom, it says, 'There is a....pipe that leads out of the castle grounds. If you need to escape, find the pipe.....crawl through and you'll make it out okay. But....only use as a last resort, because you can get easily lost underground'. No kidding," he muttered, before continuing to read, "'The vampires cannot go through the pipe, because it is a leaking water pipe. Vampires cannot touch water, because it is a pure substance. If they touch it, they could become sick.....even die'. Wow...I guess that's our best option Kiba."

Kiba nodded, and grabbed Naruto's hand tightly within his own. Naruto threw Kiba's rucksack over his shoulder, and made sure to keep a tight grip on the map. He glanced at it several times, before saying, "This way!" and leading them both down an unknown corridor.

Naruto prayed that they would make it out okay. **(2)**

* * *

Naruto had no idea how long they had been running for, but they were beginning to get tired. His feet almost dragged along the stone floor; his grip on Kiba's hand loosened; a single bead of sweat trickled down his brow. Trying to find a way out, proved harder than he expected.

"Ru-Ru...all of these corridors look the same..." Kiba whined, his breathing slightly ragged.

"I know Kiba. But we'll find a way out of here." _We have to._

He stopped for a moment to take another look at the map. According to his mother's drawing of the underground maze, they appeared to be going in the right direction. But something was wrong. It shouldn't have been taking them so long to find the water pipe. Something was not right. Not right at all.

Naruto looked in all directions, and checked for any trace of _them,_ but they were no where in sight. They were still all alone.

But that in itself, did not seem right. Naruto wondered why they had not been caught yet, or at least why they had not even been seen yet. It seemed almost impossible.

_"That's because, human, we are enjoying the chase..."_

Naruto's body immediately started shaking; his breathing erratic; his heart pounding out of control. He recognized the voice; there was no mistake.

"Itachi..." he whispered.

He could hear a soft chuckle, but had no idea where it was coming from.

_"Yes, it is me. I'm so glad you are still with us, Naruto-kun."_

"Where are you bastard!?" he shouted, turning in all directions to try and pinpoint his location.

The laughing grew louder. _"We cannot be seen by human eyes, Naruto-kun. We lurk within the shadows created by the light. We travel in the darkness, without our prey even knowing. We have been watching you with great interest for quite some time Naruto-kun. I must say, your resilience is very impressive..."_

Naruto shuddered, but immediately gasped afterwards. "That's why we can't find our way out, isn't it? You've been messing with us!"

_"You are partly correct, Naruto-kun. The never-ending corridors, are only never-ending, because we make it that way. We are not messing with you at all, only your surroundings. I can make this old castle do whatever I wish. Stretching corridors on for miles is no problem for me..."_

"You bastard!" Naruto yelled, fighting the fear rising within him.

_"Calm down Naruto-kun...your torment shall end soon."_

He froze.

_"We're coming."_

Naruto's heart almost stopped. He couldn't breathe; he couldn't think.

All he knew, was that he had to run.

And fast.

"Kiba, c'mon!" he screamed, tightening his grip on Kiba's hand, and pulling him roughly as he ran, resisting the urge to cry and scream at the same time.

Kiba asked no questions; he ran along with his brother, tears falling thick and fast down his flushed cheeks. The fear was just too much for him to bear.

_"You can't escape us Naruto-kun...We will get you...We already know exactly where you are..."_

"Kiba, don't worry okay? I'll look after you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, okay? Just keep running..."

_"What good will running do you? You cannot escape that which is all around you Naruto-kun...You cannot escape the darkness..."_

"Don't listen to him Kiba. Just keep running!"

_"I can hear the tremors in your voice, Naruto-kun...I can hear your heartbeat...It is a wonderful sound..."_

"SHUT UP!"

Naruto tried to run as fast as his legs would take him, and did not notice Kiba, who was already being pushed too far past his limits. He was too preoccupied on escaping, he did not notice Kiba as he tripped, but he did hear the sickening crack as he fell.

"Ru-Ru!"

Naruto froze as his brother fell to his knees onto the worn stone beneath him. He hastened to his little brother's side, wincing as he sobbed like a little child, like he used to when he was six. It was a horrible sound to hear.

Naruto scooped his little brother up in his arms, still holding onto the map, and cradled him gently, examining the damage to Kiba's leg.

He knew it was a broken ankle. He had twisted his leg the wrong way whilst he was running. He would not be able to run any further. Naruto cursed himself mentally.

"I'm sorry Ru-Ru," Kiba whispered, "I didn't mean to. I just...wanted to...keep the pace.."

"It's okay Kiba," Naruto muttered softly, "I'll carry you out of here if I have to. Can you hold the map for me buddy?"

Kiba nodded, wrapped one skinny arm around Naruto's neck, and used the other to hold onto the map. Naruto held onto his brother as tightly as he could, and turned around to start running once again.

He did not expect, as he slowly turned around, to be greeted with a pair of dark, crimson eyes.

He screamed.

_"Hello Naruto-kun," _Itachi hissed.

Naruto was speechless. Firstly, because the vampire had appeared completely out of nowhere.

And secondly, because he was emerging from the shadows above them, hanging upside down, with barely an inch of space separating their faces.

_"I told you we could travel through the shadows. Did you not believe me?" _he smirked, his eyebrows raised slightly in curiosity.

He could feel the familiar deathly aura radiating off of Itachi's body; the same suffocating feeling was constricting any and all movement.

_"You shall be ours Naruto-kun...you and your brother..."_

The very mention of his brother broke Naruto out of his sudden daze, and without any more thought, he rushed forward, dodging the vampire as quickly and as effectively as he could. To his surprise, he felt the claustrophobic feeling slowly ebbing away. Perhaps he was no longer chasing them?

This assumption was far too soon to be made.

_"We will continue to follow you, Naruto-kun," _Itachi said, emerging from the darkness of a nearby wall, forcing Naruto to run in a different direction.

Naruto sprinted through another corridor, yelling sharply as Sasuke appeared from nowhere, and chuckled menacingly at their distress.

_"Going somewhere?" _he asked cockily.

Naruto cursed, and turned around, trying to find a different route to take.

The map would no longer be of any help to them; Naruto now knew that. All they needed, was some kind of miracle.

_"You should stop resisting Naruto-kun. You have to realize sometime that there is no escape for you. You will grow tired soon..."_

He tried to ignore the taunting calls from the two Uchiha brothers. He tried to block out the vampires' seductive voices as they purred his name.

He just had to keep running.

Keep running, and not look back.

_"I grow tired of this weary game oniisama," _Naruto heard Sasuke groan in annoyance, _"I grow thirsty. Let's end this."_

_"You are so impatient otouto," _Itachi chuckled cruelly, _"Alright, if you insist. . ."_

Naruto couldn't help but shudder at the menacing tone in Itachi's voice. He didn't want to even imagine what he was thinking. And the fact that the younger vampire was thirsting for blood right now, made Naruto's stomach jolt.

"Ru-Ru! Look!"

Naruto skidded to a halt and looked down at Kiba. He was smiling excitedly and pointing straight ahead, giggling in triumph.

"We made it Ru-Ru!" he yelled.

Naruto gazed in the direction that Kiba was pointing, and gasped at what he saw.

They were in a huge open space; the corridors had finally come to an end. And right in front of them, as clear as day, was the pipe their mother had mentioned in her instructions. It was closed; a single cap blocking the exit, with a handle placed right in the centre.

"It's the pipe..." he whispered in disbelief.

"Yeah! And that means we can get out of here!" Kiba squealed in delight.

Naruto sighed thankfully and took a single step forward. One step. Then he froze.

_Wait, _he thought, _We finally found the pipe.....Why? Why now of all times?  
_

He remembered what Itachi had told him earlier:

_**"The never-ending corridors, are only never-ending, because we make it that way. We are not messing with you at all, only your surroundings. I can make this old castle do whatever I wish. Stretching corridors on for miles is no problem for me..."**  
_

_So he must have stopped stretching the corridors. But why would he do that? He can't be giving up. So why-_

Naruto stopped. His eyes widened. His throat was dry. He thought he was going to be sick.

"They're coming now..." he murmured.

A sudden deep, rumbling chuckle echoed in the open space. Naruto couldn't help but shake at the sound.

Panicking, Naruto ran straight at the pipe, pure fear driving him onwards. He carefully placed Kiba on the floor, before grabbing the handle with both hands and tugging on it with as much force as possible. But the pipe cap would not budge. It stayed firmly in place.

_"That won't do you any good human," _he heard Sasuke snicker, _"That pipe was sealed long ago with our magic. We couldn't allow any more water to flow into this chamber, nor let any of our prey escape through it."_

Naruto growled, and continued to tug on the handle, refusing to let go.

_"Why do you continue to defy your fate Naruto-kun? You really are persistent...but it will do you no good..." _Itachi muttered.

Naruto could not fight the tears that were slowly trickling down his cheeks. A harsh sob broke out from his lips; it sounded like a dying animal.

_"You must see that there is no way out....You cannot escape us..."_

"Ru-Ru?" Kiba whispered weakly, tears building up in his chocolate brown eyes.

Naruto could hear the sound of slow footsteps coming up from behind him. He knew it would not take long for the vampires to reach them. The pipe cap still would not open.

He shuddered as another loud choking sound rose up from his chest and out of his mouth. His hands hung loosely on the handle. He crumpled to the floor in defeat.

It was over.

"Ru-Ru!" Kiba wailed, "You can't be giving up! There's just no way! That's not like you!"

Naruto ignored Kiba and continued to moan, grimacing as he heard his own anguished cries.

Kiba shuffled towards his brother, gritting his teeth as a sharp pain seared through his ankle. He grabbed his brother by the shoulders and started shaking him with the remaining strength he had left.

"Ru-Ru why are you giving up?!? We can find a way out of here! I know we can do it!"

Naruto didn't answer him. Kiba growled.

"Damn it Ru-Ru why aren't you answering me! What is your problem!?! Why won't you say anything to me!?! Why-"

Kiba gasped as Naruto turned around and wrapped both his arms tightly around his younger brother, pulling him close in a warm embrace. He could feel Naruto shaking; he could feel Naruto's hot tears soak through his shirt; he could hear Naruto hushing him quietly in his ear.

"Ru-Ru....what-"

"Hush Kiba....not now. Let's not fight now, okay buddy? Let's just....stay together...like this. Together. Please?" Naruto pleaded quietly.

Kiba could hear the pain in Naruto's voice; the utter agony of the situation was clear in his tone. And then he realized.

They were going to die.

He wailed, clutching onto his big brother's shirt as he cried, scared of what was going to happen. Naruto held his brother tighter.

"Shush now Kiba," Naruto cooed, "I'm here....I'm here....I won't let you go..."

Naruto cradled Kiba in his arms like a baby, and began humming softly to him, just like his mother did when he was small. Kiba buried himself into Naruto's chest and closed his eyes as he recognized the tune of their mother's lullaby.

Naruto smiled softly as he began to sing:

_"Are you lost, little one? Why do you cry?  
Does the darkness scare you on this cold Winter's night?  
Come into my arms and become one with me.  
With me you can be safe and warm, forever more.  
Our souls are cursed, my darling,  
So let's fall into the never-ending darkness,  
And sleep under the glow of the bleeding moon."_

Once he was finished, he slowly closed his eyes, stroked his brother's soft hair, and listened closely for the sound of the vampire's echoing footsteps. They grew louder and louder, until suddenly...they stopped.

Naruto opened his eyes.

"It is time, Naruto-kun," Itachi said softly, "For you and your brother."

Naruto choked slightly as he gazed into the hungry eyes of the Uchiha brothers; first Itachi, then Sasuke. His grip tightened on his brother.

"Okay, but please spare my brother. And if not.....at least take me first," Naruto muttered.

"No Ru-Ru..." Kiba moaned into Naruto's shirt.

"We cannot agree to the first proposal, but we shall agree to the second. You shall be the first," Itachi said coldly, bending down to Naruto's level, so he could stare into his eyes.

Naruto gulped, fear swelling up within him. He wanted to scream, but would not give the vampires the satisfaction.

Itachi leaned in closely to Naruto's quivering body, but then froze. To Naruto's surprise, Itachi's eyes widened, and there was a slight hint of emotion in them. But what was it? Naruto wasn't entirely sure.

Naruto followed Itachi's gaze, and saw that he was staring at the necklace tied around his neck. The silver butterfly must have flopped out from under his shirt as he was running. Naruto smiled softly. Seeing his mother's necklace made him feel better. He knew he would be able to see her soon.

Itachi shook his head softly; the emotion that was once there had disappeared. He reached out to touch Naruto's chest.

One touch.

Then everything went black.

* * *

_What.....is this?_

Naruto was trapped; suspended in the middle of nothingness. His mind was cloudy- like it was submerged, and wading underneath the surface of his own consciousness. He couldn't feel anything. He tried to move, but still he felt nothing. Maybe he wasn't moving in the first place? Maybe the strange place of nothingness forbade any movement, like he was only allowed to drift through it aimlessly.

Everything was so black, he could not see anything. He realized after a while that his eyes must be closed. But when he tried to open them, nothing happened. Were his eyes actually closed? Or was this blackness real? The world of nothingness began to confuse him so much, it made his head hurt.

_At least I'm able to feel something in this place...._

He didn't know the time. Time didn't exist in a world of nothingness. He knew that much at least. But for all he knew, centuries could have passed in the real world without his knowledge. Everyone he knew and cared about could have died years ago and he would be none the wiser.

_But who was there to care about? Do I know anyone like that? Is there anyone that I care about? Who cares about me? I can't remember...._

_Fuck. I know there must be someone, but I can't think! Why can I not remember?!?_

_**You have done well, my son....**_

A shockwave immediately ran through Naruto's system. It froze his veins, but at the same time, it boiled his blood to the point when he thought he would burst. It hurt so much; the pain was unbearable. He couldn't breathe. His heart was racing far too fast. What the hell was going on?

_**Thank you father. I value your praise....**_

The new echoed voice pulsed through his brain, and a new fresh wave of pain followed, coursing through his system. It was the worst agony he had ever felt, far beyond anything he had ever imagined.

And he had no idea where the hell it was coming from.

_**I am glad. You have grown well over these past centuries my son....**_

_Fucking hell, just end it now. Please, for the love of fucking God.....kill me now.....please..._

_**Sasuke, grow up like your older brother. He has set a fine example for you. Do not fail me....**_

Naruto felt like he should recognize the name, but right at that moment he could not care less. All of his attention was focused on the pain.

_**Of course otousan, I will not let you down...**_

That voice...it was so familiar....why? Why did it send shivers down his spine? Why did he feel afraid?

Why?

_Oh f-_

_**Freeze you filthy, bloodsucking monsters!**_

Naruto gasped. The pain immediately lessened as the new voice spoke. His heartbeat slowed down, and his blood stopped boiling. The new voice was calming, soothing, even though it was screaming in fury. And like the voices before, it was familiar. But it was a different kind of familiar. It wasn't terrifying.

It was......warm. It was a woman's voice, and it rang loud and clear like the tinkling of bells.

_**Who are you? **_

He froze. Was the voice talking to him? Or the woman? It sounded hostile. Naruto became frantic. What was going on?

**_Well? Who are you?!?_**

Naruto grew more worried. If the woman was in danger, he wanted to help. He was tired of drifting through the nothingness!

**He wanted to help!**

Just then, a brilliant, dazzling light shone from all sides; a light that blinded him. Suddenly he could think, like his mind had broken free from within the nothingness. He could move too, and see. He could see everything; first a mix of different colour, blurred and out of focus, but then the colours turned into shapes, and soon he could see a whole room.

He eyes widened. A lump formed in his throat.

It was the Uchiha mansion's entrance hall.

"What the fuck?!?" he screamed.

What was more surprising, was the five figures standing below him; two standing next to each other near the marble steps; one standing in the middle of the hall; and the other two were standing very close to each other, with one standing right behind the other smaller figure, their arm wrapped around their frame.

They looked so small from where Naruto was standing; like they were tiny ants. He could barely see their faces. They were far too below him, so he couldn't-

Wait.

Below?

_Oh shit._

Naruto slowly looked down from where he was standing, and couldn't help but scream-

"HOLY SHIT!"

He was floating in mid-air, right up near the high ceiling. He scrambled and kicked through the air as he howled, and howled even louder when his body jerked from side to side as he struggled to get down.

"What the hell is this?!? Why the hell am I floating?!?!" he yelled, screaming like a little girl when he fell at least ten feet through the air and came to an abrupt halt mid-fall.

He immediately looked down, afraid that the figures would be staring at him like he was some kind of freak. But strangely enough, they stayed where they were, their gaze fixated on the person gripping onto the smaller figure.

"What?" he murmured.

He fell once again, only slower this time - like he was gliding - towards the five figures, curious as to what the hell was going on. He stopped about five feet away from them, his feet floating inches from the floor.

At this distance, he was able to see the figure's faces a whole lot better. The one furthest away from him - the one clutching the other figure - was wearing a black mask, so seeing the whole of their face was impossible. However, he could see the other four.

And he recognized them immediately.

"Uchihas...." he hissed.

Itachi Uchiha was standing a few feet away from him in the middle of the entrance hall, staring at the two 'intimate' figures from across the room. He looked a lot younger; around fourteen years old, but Naruto could still recognize him. His eyes were full of rage, and he was trembling badly. The other two figures standing close to each other, nearer the steps, were Itachi's parents, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha. They were also staring at the two figures, though they were far more composed than Itachi. They looked indifferent...cold even. Just like their painting.

Naruto followed Itachi's gaze and observed the two other figures; the ones that were gaining most of the attention in the room. The smaller figure Naruto immediately recognized as Sasuke Uchiha. But when he saw him, Naruto frowned. He didn't look at all like Naruto remembered him. He was far smaller for one thing. He looked like a late teen when Naruto saw him last, but there, he looked like he was seven, possibly eight. But that wasn't the only weird thing about him.

Small tears were trickling down his soft, plump cheeks, and his eyes were widened in fear. Naruto couldn't help but gasp. And he couldn't understand why.

Until he noticed it.

The figure that was standing behind Sasuke, did not have their arm wrapped around him out of intimacy.

In their hand, was a long, shiny, silver gun, that was pointed directly over Sasuke's heart.

"Hello vampire," the mysterious figure hissed, "You ready to die?"

* * *

**(1)** Yes, he finally admits his father died at the hands of vampires. It is a massive step for Naruto, because he has been denying that ever since it happened. But now he's seen evidence, it's pretty hard for him to keep denying it. This is an incredible emotional step for Naruto, so I'm gonna give him a little applause (mini applause) WOO!! GO RU-RU!! XD  
**(2)** You might remember in the last chapter, that Naruto says he doesn't believe in God. He is so scared, he doesn't no what else to do, so he ends up praying to God for help.

So guys, what did you think? Yet again it is a cliffhanger! XD I'm sorry but it is so fun writing cliffhangers! I wanted to write on, but I thought, 'Wouldn't that be a perfect place to stop?' So that's where I stopped.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, 'cause I really enjoyed writing it. I have been imagining the chase scene in my head (I actually had a nightmare about it, and that's how I came up with it :D) and I have been waiting so long to get it posted.

I am so sorry this chapter is incredibly late. It's late for a number of reasons. 1. Because I have far too much coursework... 2.....Um....coursework again..... and 3. MORE COURSEWORK!!! Argh! I hate coursework so much....

Any who, I hope no more chapters are this late. I don't need any time for planning my story because over the past few months I have been planning everything in my head and I know exactly where this story is going to go and how it is going to end. So all I need to get sorted is how long it takes me to type...

Hopefully it won't be that long. XD

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed! Please review, 'cause that would make N-I-N so very happy...

Sending love to all you people!

N-I-N


	4. It's Far From Over

Hi guys!! The fourth chapter of As Red As Blood is here!! I am so happy at the moment, because a day after I posted the last chapter, SO many of you guys reviewed and favourited this story! I can't even describe how happy that makes me. I really love this story, and I am so glad that you do too. ^^ Thank you so much, because it really means a lot to me.

Right, yet again I left the story at a cliffhanger (LOL) I am sorry people but it is WAAAAY too fun XD I will try to stop doing that, because I know you guys find it slightly irritating...I understand. When I read fanfics that end on cliffhangers I end up screaming at my computer screen, 'What the hell!??!?! Where did the rest of it go?!?!' XD It's weird being on the other end of it....And I know a lot of you guys wanted more chapters, and last time it took FOREVER to update. I tried to get it finished before Christmas, but with family visiting and things like that, it's been kind of hectic at my house. But, it's finished now! YAY!! ^^

And I just wanted to say to everybody: _**I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! And I hope you have an awesome Valentine's Day too! Spread a lil SasuXNaru lurve this Valentine's Day! XD****  
**_

Okay, before we start, I just needed to explain something first. ButterflyOnna77 (hiya btw if you're reading this) wanted to know some of my vampire rules, and I think that some of you also want to know my rules. Like I said to ButterflyOnna77 (again...hi XD thanks for the review as well!) I can't reveal all of my rules, because the characters will do that for me. But there is one rule I don't think will ever get brought up, so I might as well mention it now. If it does get brought up....well...at least you already know...

Their age. Right. I have been working out dates and stuff for a little while, and I need to explain how they age.

Okay, they **do **age. But only up until they turn 1000, and by that time, they look about 30. Itachi and Sasuke's parents are both over 1000 years old, so they look forever 30. Itachi looks like he is in his early twenties in the present time, and he is about 814 years old (born in 1194 if people want to know :P at least I think so...I worked it out in my head....and I can't always rely on that...XD) Sasuke looks about 16 at the present time and he is 589 years old (born in 1411). This means I MAJORLY screwed up in the last chapter. When I said that Sasuke looked 7 or 8, he actually has to look about 9 or 10. And when Itachi looks 14, he actually has to look 16. This is because a ditsy N-I-N didn't pay attention to the second chapter. If you remember, their portrait says it was painted in 1783, and that same year was the year that all of this stuff that Naruto is seeing happened. This means that Sasuke would be 372 and Itachi would be 589. The major problem is, like I said, they look 15 when they turn 500. Itachi is over 500, but apparently he still looks 14. (sigh) I apologize, this is probably confusing EVERYONE. Just pretend that in that last chapter Sasuke is about 10 and Itachi is 16. ^^ I could change the birth years if I wanted to, but I think I have to keep them the same for confusing reasons that I can't remember....0_o.....anyway, I apologize to everybody.

And ButterflyOnna77, I apologize 'cause I think I told you wrong ages before. I hope you can forgive lil old me for being so ditsy. ^^

Anyway, let's get on with it shall we?

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto. ....That's basically it. ^^

By the way, I said last chapter that if you were mega squeamish, that you might not wanna read. Remember? Well actually, that was meant for this chapter. So I'm going to give the warning again. ^^If you don't like blood, don't read. ^^

* * *

"What.....?" Naruto whispered, his mind in a daze as the masked stranger pressed the muzzle of the gun harder into Sasuke's chest.

"Why are you here!?!" Itachi roared, his red eyes gleaming.

The stranger chuckled softly and hissed, "I'm here to take you out."

Sasuke moaned quietly and gazed across the room at his brother with pleading eyes. Itachi growled. Their parents remained composed.

The stranger smirked as he leaned into Sasuke's face, his smirk widening when he felt Sasuke shiver.

"You know what these bullets are....don't you vampire?"

Sasuke whimpered.

"These are special hunter bullets. As soon as they are shot into your system, they dissolve in your toxic bloodstream. And then their...._special ingredient_....can work its magic. And you know what that is....don't you?" the stranger snickered.

Sasuke sighed, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He muttered, eyes wide, "_Water_."

Naruto gasped. There was **water **in those bullets! One shot through Sasuke's heart, and it would all be over; that was for certain.

One shot, and Sasuke would die.

"W-what?" Itachi stuttered in disbelief, "What did you say?"

"That's right," the stranger cackled in triumph, "Your little brother is going to die. And then, bastard, it will be you. Only then will justice return."

"What do you mean?" Fugaku asked, finally showing some interest in the scene before him. His voice was hard and cold, just like his eyes. Naruto shuddered.

The stranger flinched- it was a fleeting movement, but it was there.

"Come now," he exclaimed, composing himself, "Don't tell me you don't know your own sins! The crimes that you have committed! Surely you know who I am!"

There was a sudden eerie silence that followed the stranger's mad ranting, until someone whispered, so quietly that it was barely audible, "The V.H.O."

It was the vampires' turn to flinch. Naruto didn't understand. What was the V.H.O.?

"I thought we destroyed all of you scum a few months ago!" Itachi yelled.

"Well there was one you _didn't _destroy," he hissed venomously.

"I do not understand," Mikoto muttered, "Who are you? I was sure the hunter family designated to us was annihilated..."

"Oh _yes_," the hunter spat, "You annihilated them all right. And when I came home I was greeted with three bloodied corpses! It was **_my _**family you monsters murdered!"

"But my brother was never involved! He is too young to be included in that kind of business! So why-"

"Because you murdered **_my _**little brother!" he screamed, "And I demand retribution!"

"If it is retribution for the life of your brother you desire," Itachi muttered, "Then it is me that you want. I killed the boy."

The hunter shuddered and took a single step forward, dragging Sasuke's shivering body along in the process.

"If you want to die that badly," he growled, "I shall take your life as soon as I take his. Or maybe I can try killing you with the same fucking bullet!"

"Why do you hesitate in killing the true murderer?" Itachi asked, "If it is retribution you seek, then here I am! I am the one you desire! So shoot **me**!"

Silence.

"**SHOOT ME!**" he roared, slamming his hands against his chest in aggression. **(1)**

"Itachi!" Fugaku barked, "Be silent! You shame yourself and this family."

"But otousan-"

"I said be **silent**," he hissed, and Itachi immediately quietened.

Fugaku walked towards the hunter with a powerful stride, clearly not afraid of the human with the gun, or at least, pretending convincingly not to be. He glanced at his youngest son's tear-streaked face, before gazing into the hunter's hateful eyes. The hunter grasped the young Uchiha even tighter in his grip, suddenly wary and cautious by the vampire lord's advance. The gun was still pointed to Sasuke's chest.

"Now human," Fugaku said coldly, "Release my son, and your death will be swift."

"No," the hunter smirked.

Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "Release my son," he said more forcefully.

"I will have my revenge," was the simple reply.

The hunter began slowly pulling back a single finger on the trigger. A slight clicking sound echoed through the Main Hall. Sasuke whimpered.

"I will kill you if you move again," Fugaku hissed menacingly.

The hunter chuckled, as if he thought it was an empty threat, not once taking his gaze off of Fugaku's angry face. The laugh was filled with anguish and pain. And madness - Naruto could clearly hear the suffering that he had been through. The agony that he had been put through.

"I don't care if I die! As long as I can fulfill my revenge, I am not afraid of death!" the hunter screamed.

Naruto winced. It felt like the screams were piercing through his very soul. He thought his ears would bleed.

"If I do die, then I'll make sure to take you all out with me!"

The tension was becoming far too intense. The hunter was about to snap. Naruto could see that in his eyes through the slits of his mask. And the vampires could see it too.

"You don't know how much you have made me suffer! You took away my entire family! They were my **_world_**! And it wasn't just them! Countless mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandparents, all of them you killed in cold blood! Well I cannot stand for this! This must end! It must end!"

The hunter gazed down at the frightened young vampire in its arms and growled in contempt. Sasuke looked back at the hunter with a pleading glance.

But there was no room for sympathy.

"The beginning of the end is coming!" the hunter yelled, "And it's starting with you!"

"**NO!**" Itachi shouted as he ran for his younger brother, his arms outstretched to help Sasuke.

"**THIS IS FOR MY BROTHER!**"

The hunter pulled the trigger.

A bang.

A gasp.

A scream.

"**NOOOOOOOO!"**

Blood spurted from Sasuke's chest, and splattered onto the pure white marble with a sickening squelch. His eyes were wide open with shock, and he was completely still, like a small pale statue. The crimson liquid pooled at his feet and trickled down his clothes, staining the fabric.

He coughed. More blood erupted from his mouth, pouring out in great gouts. **(2)** It dribbled down his chin and neck, coating his ghostly skin in a layer of bright red.

Naruto gasped, a single hand held to his mouth in horror. He thought he was going to be sick. He knew that in his heart he hated the vampires, but seeing Sasuke get shot....

It was disgusting.

Itachi was stood a few feet from his brother, frozen, just like Sasuke. His mouth was wide open, and yet, no words came out. He couldn't speak; he couldn't think.

Five seconds passed. Five, agonizingly long seconds.

And then Sasuke collapsed.

"**Sasuke**!" Itachi cried, and without further hesitation, rushed to his brother's side. He fell onto his knees and grasped Sasuke's hand, using the other to try and stop the bleeding.

Naruto watched in horror as Sasuke coughed, spluttered and screamed as the water began to take its effect on his system. He shook and shuddered like he was having some kind of fit. His eyes were so wide, they were popping out of his head. More blood began pouring from his wounds and his mouth, and a little starting trickling out of his nose and ears.

"Sasuke, stay with me!" Itachi yelled feverishly, clutching his brother's hand tightly within his own, "You can get through this otouto. Be strong!"

"I.....Ita...chi...." Sasuke croaked, coughing up more blood in the process. It splattered across Itachi's hands and clothes, but he did not notice. He didn't want to notice.

Fugaku cursed quietly under his breath. Naruto tore his gaze from the younger Uchihas to see the vampire lord talking furiously with his wife. They spoke for barely a few moments, before they both nodded, and rushed towards a door that Naruto had not notice until now. Looking at it, Naruto swore that he had seen the door before somewhere, but no matter how much he thought about it, he just couldn't remember. However, he assumed that must have been where the hunter escaped to, because when he looked around the Main Hall, the hunter was no where in sight.

Itachi turned around to look at his parents, and realized what they were going to do. He rose from the floor, his crimson eyes burning with hatred. Mikoto stopped in her tracks to look back at her eldest son, and very delicately, she raised her right hand. Itachi stopped dead.

"My son, look after Sasuke while we are gone," she murmured quietly.

"But why?!?" Itachi asked, his voice breaking, "That hunter is after me! I am the one responsible, so I-"

"Stop it," Fugaku snarled, "You stay here. We shall deal with the intruder. They have escaped into the underground. They will not last long down there."

Itachi bowed his head in defeat and muttered softly, "Yes otousan."

Fugaku nodded once to his son and in an instant was running down the stone steps that led to the Underground, his wife running at lightning speed right behind him.

Naruto watched as Itachi stood completely still after his parents had left, his bloodied fists shaking with pure rage, and his eyes glowing with insanity. He started hissing incoherently under his breath and shook his head from side to side. He was obviously distressed, but no matter how much he wanted to, it was clear that he could not move an inch. Itachi could not disobey his father's wishes. And Naruto knew that Itachi hated himself for being manipulated so easily.

"I-Ita...chi..."

Itachi flinched at the sound of his brother's weak voice. He quickly turned around and knelt beside Sasuke once more. Itachi rested a single hand atop of Sasuke's head, and hissed as he retracted his hand. Sasuke was burning up badly; Naruto could see his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"Otouto...." Itachi muttered softly, caressing his brother's cheek, "If only I was stronger. Then maybe...I would have been able....to-"

"Stop it."

He gasped quietly as Sasuke lifted a hand to cup his cheek, and smiled even though he could barely keep his eyes open. Itachi slowly lifted his own hand to place it gently on top of Sasuke's, and a single tear trickled down his face. Naruto felt himself wander towards the two vampire brothers as they held onto each other. He felt like he had to. He felt like it was something he needed to see. He needed to bear witness; to be near them.

He had to. He couldn't look away.

"Don't say....something.....like that.....oniisama...." Sasuke croaked, stopping several times to cough up more blood, "It's my fault.......I'm too.....weak.......I'm a.......disappointment.......to you......and.....otousan...."

"You're not!" Itachi exclaimed, "Don't even think that! Otousan, okasan and myself are not disappointed in you! You should know that!"

Sasuke chuckled hoarsely, before he wheezed and coughed uncontrollably, scrunching his knees up to his stomach to try and deal with the pain. He groaned softly.

"Oniisama.....leave me."

"What are you talking about?!" Itachi demanded, "I can't just leave you! Stop talking crazy!"

"There's.....no point. The water......has....spread through....my system. It's burning me....inside...."

"Sasuke...." Itachi whispered.

"It hurts.....oniisama......please.......just go....."

"Be quiet Sasuke!" Itachi snarled, fighting back tears, "I am not leaving you. Everything is going to be alright. Just stay with me!"

"But the...hunter-"

"Listen to me," Itachi hissed, "Otousan and okasan will deal with the hunter. I made a promise to look after you and that is what I am going to do. Just.....try not to talk. Try and relax, and maybe the water won't spread as fast."

Sasuke smiled softly and nestled his head against Itachi's chest comfortably. Itachi carefully lifted his younger brother so that he was cradling him in his arms. Each time Sasuke would jerk and twitch, Itachi grasp would tighten, as if he was trying to control it. Naruto looked at the two brothers in pity. All of the hatred he felt for the brothers vanished in an instant.

The scene remained quiet for some time as Naruto watched Sasuke try and fight off the effects of the water. The only sounds that could be heard was Naruto's soft breathing, Sasuke's pained gasps and Itachi's almost silent sobs. It was clear that as each minute passed, a little more of Sasuke's strength would slip away. Naruto could feel a deathly aura smothering him, and he knew by the saddened expression on Itachi's face, that he could feel it too. But even so, Itachi tried his hardest to ignore it, and he still clung onto the hope that Sasuke could survive the poison that was now surging through his bloodstream. He had to believe everything was going to be alright.

And then it happened.

A loud bang followed by a familiar ear-piercing scream echoed through the entire castle, shattering countless windows, sharp shards of glass raining down from all sides. Itachi threw himself protectively over Sasuke to shield him from the glass, whilst Naruto ignored it, clutching his ears and howling in agony as the shrieks and wails continued. It was so loud, he could hear it ringing inside of his head, and he hissed as he felt blood trickle out of his ears.

"What the hell is this!?!" he yelled above the screaming, "For the love of God, why doesn't it stop?!?"

He turned quickly to face Itachi, as if the vampire could give him a possible answer. Surprisingly, the vampire was not doubled over in pain like he was. On the contrary, he was sat upright, rigid like a board, his eyes fixated on the door that his parents had disappeared through a little while ago.

And that's when Naruto realized.

The screams sounded familiar, because they sounded like Sasuke's screams when the water first took its effect on his body.

They were the dying screams of a vampire.

The yelling carried on, until several other loud bangs exploded from the hunter's pistol, silencing the screams forever. An eerie silence washed over the entire castle. No one spoke. No one moved. Not even Naruto.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for Naruto, Itachi growled angrily. "Okasan...." he grimaced.

Sasuke tried to turn his head towards the door, but it proved too much for him. His head fell back to rest against Itachi's chest once more, closing his eyes and trying to relax to conserve his energy.

Naruto felt the sudden need to go through the wooden door and find the hunter in the 'Underground', or whatever Itachi's father had called it. Even though he would rather not leave Itachi and Sasuke alone, he was curious, and wondered if the hunter was alright. He seemed capable to be able to look after himself, but Naruto couldn't help feeling slightly protective of him for some reason. It puzzled him to no end, but he tried to ignore it. He could protect himself, and now was not the time to be worrying. But he had to know what was going on. And fast.

Naruto started walking towards the door, intent on finding the mysterious hunter. He took a few steps. Then he froze.

He couldn't see him, but he could hear Itachi behind him, hissing and cursing in a language that Naruto did not understand. He was growling in a gravelly tone, like some kind of wild animal. The sound of it made the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stand up. He didn't want to, but he felt like he had to turn around.

So he did.

And when he did, he wished that he hadn't.

Itachi's whole body was shaking, and his sharp fangs protruded from his open mouth. The candle flames flickered dangerously as a sudden breeze blew through the Main Hall, sending shivers down Naruto's spine. Itachi's breathing turned raspy, and he choked several times, as if he was fighting the urge to throw up. But what was worse, was the deep, crimson eyes that were glaring at him under obsidian bangs. Naruto couldn't look away from them. It wasn't like before when he saw Itachi's eyes glowing their usual blood red colour. This was something else. They were manic - animalistic even. And Naruto swore that every few moments, he could see a flash of purple in Itachi's eyes.

He looked at Naruto in pure rage, and without warning, let out a hideous roar, so horrifying, and so frightening, Naruto knew he would never forget it.

A wave of pain immediately wracked his body, and he tried to yell in surprise as the sting pulsed through his body, but nothing would come out. All he could hear was Itachi's beastly growl.

And that was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

* * *

Naruto awoke with a yell as he leapt from the bed, his face covered in a sheen of dripping sweat. He gasped and gulped for air as he took in his surroundings, not knowing exactly where he was or what had happened. All he could see was a huge blur of purple. He blinked several times, but to his surprise, the purple remained. It reminded him of Itachi's murderous gaze, and the flash of purple within his deep crimson eyes. He shouted in surprise, throwing his arms wildly in front of his body, to protect himself from the attack he knew was coming. He closed his eyes, but the flash of purple remained, dancing behind his eyelids. He yelled hysterically once more, and waited for Itachi to pounce.

But nothing came. He froze, wondering when Itachi was going to strike. So, out of pure curiosity, and even though his common sense was pleading with him not to, he opened his eyes.

Like before, all he could see was purple, but soon he realized that it was just a hanging silk curtain draped over the bed. As he tried to look beyond that, he saw a very old writing desk, which was coated in pieces of paper and several quills with ink bottles. For some reason, he had a strange sense of deja vu, but he just couldn't understand why. Everything he looked at, everything he saw seemed so familiar. He had seen it before, he was sure of it, but his brain just refused to function properly. He felt his hand reach up slowly to grasp something at his throat. Naruto gazed down at his hand, and saw the beautiful butterfly necklace, resting on top of his shaking fingers.

He gasped. Suddenly everything was coming back - his mother's necklace, the vampire hunting trip in the old Uchiha mansion, the chase into the underground tunnels, and-

"Kiba....." he whispered.

In an instant he pushed himself off of the bed as worry began to control him. Kiba was in trouble. He was still alive and in the vampire's mansion. More than likely, Kiba was too.

_I have to help him. I have to-_

Naruto yelped in surprise as he fell sideways, crashing with an almighty thud to the floor, the bottom half of his body still lying across the bed. He groaned uncomfortably and tried to wriggle the rest of his body from off of the bed, and paused when he realized that he couldn't.

"What.....the hell?" he muttered, as he tried to wriggle again. He growled when his body did not move an inch. He tried again. Nothing. He began to get angry. Naruto lifted his body up with his arms and tried to pull himself back up onto the bed. It took him several frustrating attempts before he was finally able to manage it. When he was sitting up on the bed, he carefully edged towards his feet so he wouldn't fall off again.

And what he saw completely pissed him off.

Clamped around his ankles, were two very large, very thick shackles, made of some kind of heavy metal. And attached to those, were two very thick chains, which were wrapped around a post of the four-poster bed, and then locked together with a very large, very old padlock.

"What the **fuck**?!?!" he howled, scrabbling at the chains as if he thought he could pull them off. When he finally realized that he couldn't, he screamed out in annoyance and panic.

"Kiba?!" he shouted, his panic growing more and more by the second, "Kiba!??! KIBA?!?"

"Ru-Ru?" a little familiar voice called out from beyond the doorway. Naruto sighed, holding a hand to his furiously-beating heart.

"Thank God," Naruto whispered gratefully, tears welling up in his eyes, "Kiba's alright. Thank God!"

"Ru-Ru?" Kiba asked a little louder, worry evident in his voice, "Are you awake? Ru-Ru?"

"Yes Kiba, I'm here!" Naruto called out. He couldn't help but smile. Hearing Kiba's voice again was so comforting.

It didn't take long before Naruto could hear loud footsteps bounding down the corridor and a voice squealing excitedly. A few moments later, Kiba flew through the doorway, his little ten-year-old face lighting up when he saw his big brother.

"Ru-Ru!" Kiba cried as he ran up to his brother, jumping up onto the bed and throwing his small arms around Naruto's shoulders. Naruto laughed with happiness as he grasped his brother tightly in his arms, tears pouring down his face. Feeling his younger brother safe within his arms after everything that had happened.......there were no words to describe his joy.

"Kiba I'm so glad you're safe...." he cooed, burying his face into his little brother's shoulder, to hide his tears.

"Ru-Ru..." Kiba whined, "Don't be silly. I'm fine, so there's no reason to get all upset!"

Naruto chuckled quietly as he released Kiba from his vice-like grip. "I do have a reason Kiba, you're my little brother. I can't help but worry about you."

"Well I've been fine this whole time," Kiba said smiling, "Dei-Dei has been looking after me!"

"Dei-Dei?" Naruto asked, suddenly confused, "Who is Dei-Dei?"

"Come on Ru-Ru, you know Dei-Dei!" Kiba remarked, "He's the one who helped hide us! Remember? The blonde-haired guy!"

Naruto's face contorted in puzzlement as he tried to remember. His brain wasn't functioning as well as it usually did - which according to Kiba wasn't all that much different - much to Naruto's annoyance. It took him a long while, until suddenly the memory of the young man's face came flooding back into his mind.

He remembered the blonde-haired man. The servant of the vampires. Naruto growled in disgust.

"Ru-Ru?" Kiba asked in a quiet voice, obviously scared by Naruto's sudden change in mood.

Naruto turned to Kiba, the look of worry returning to his eyes. "Kiba, you let that.....that **horrid **man look after you?!? You could have been hurt! He serves the **vampires** Kiba, not you! What did you think you were doing?!? Honestly Kiba, you are such a-"

"Ru-Ru!" Kiba shouted, grabbing Naruto roughly by the shoulders, "Relax! Nothing happened! Dei-Dei has been looking after me all of this time! He's been looking after you as well! Not that you would know, after all you've asleep for three days-"

"Three days?" Naruto asked in a sudden daze.

"Yes. **Three days. **You have no idea how worried I was! I was scared! I thought you weren't going to wake up! But Dei-Dei told me you would, and he said that he would look after you for me!"

"Kiba," Naruto said quietly, "What happened.....what happened after I passed out......in the underground tunnels?"

Kiba flinched slightly, his eyes becoming as round as dinner plates. He bowed his head and fiddled nervously with his shirt. "Well.....the vampires.....well, Itachi actually.....he touched your chest, and then all of a sudden....you blacked out. I tried calling to you....but you wouldn't wake up. Then, Itachi told Dei-Dei to take you up to a room and make sure you were okay. He also told him to look after me and get me something to eat. Then, Itachi and Sasuke just looked at each other and vanished in a puff of black smoke. I haven't seen them since."

"And what have you been doing for three days?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I've been looking around the castle and playing with Dei-Dei!" Kiba exclaimed suddenly brightening up, "It's been real fun! He's been showing me lots of cool stuff!"

"Kiba, have the vampires.....well.....have they hurt you?"

Kiba went very quiet. "Before it gets dark, Dei-Dei makes sure I go upstairs and into this room, and I'm not allowed to come out until the vampires have finished......**eating**," he whispered, "Dei-Dei says I can come out after that, but I never want to. The vampires.....they scare me."

Naruto growled angrily and threw his arms around Kiba once more. "Kiba, I will **never** let them hurt you. I promise you that you're safe with me. I won't let them near you."

"Ru-Ru...." Kiba whimpered, "I'm not a little kid. You don't need to protect me, I can manage by myself!"

"Like I'm going to let you walk around with mad vampires on the loose by yourself...." Naruto muttered under his breath.

Kiba smiled weakly and held onto his brother tightly, grateful for Naruto's over-protective behaviour. He tried to be brave and strong for Naruto's benefit, especially after everything he had been through. After all, Naruto had had no proper childhood, and knew the heartache of losing two parents.; after all, Kiba was only a baby when their mother left, so losing her wasn't much of a big deal to him. Kiba had always depended on his big brother, even in times when Naruto was hurting worse than he was.

Kiba had always felt guilty and selfish, but right now, in the comfort of his brother's arm, he really couldn't care less, especially after the things he had heard and seen over the past few days.

Things that scarred him. Things that hurt him. And things he knew that he would never, ever be able to forget.

"So," Kiba said, breaking the comfortable silence, "What happened to you? You've been out for so long, and late at night you've been talking to yourself. Did you dream anything good?"

Naruto suddenly shuddered, which did not go unnoticed by Kiba.

"Ru-Ru? Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah Kiba," Naruto replied, his voice weaker than it was before, "I'm fine. I actually can't remember what I dreamt about."

Kiba groaned and started complaining about Naruto's lack of a good memory, but Naruto didn't mind. He was glad Kiba hadn't asked further questions, and hadn't realized that he was lying. Or at least, he pretended that he hadn't realized. Naruto was just glad he was awake. If he had been trapped in that nightmare any longer, he knew he wouldn't have been able to cope. As he listened to Kiba, he tried desperately not to think about the bloody scene, or the time trapped within the darkness, but there was something that was bothering him.

The woman's voice that he had heard within the darkness. It sounded like she was a part of the nightmare, but when Naruto had looked around and listened out for her, he had realized that she was no where in sight. The only woman within the room was Mikoto Uchiha, and her voice was far from comforting. So Naruto could only help but wonder, what exactly had happened to her?

"Ru-Ru? Are you even listening to me?!?"

Naruto snapped out of his trance and gazed into the eyes of a very annoyed Kiba, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest, and a sudden frown on his face.

"What?" Naruto asked, still slightly dazed.

"You were ignoring me again, weren't you? Honestly Ru-Ru I can't have a decent conversation without you dozing off or something! I mean, what is it with you? I can't remember..."

Naruto smiled as Kiba continued to rant, glad that something was distracting him from thinking about his recent nightmare. He tried to keep his focus on Kiba; his voice; his actions; anything to take his mind off of his current situation, and the thoughts that refused to leave his mind.

But a sudden flicker of movement caught his attention. He turned towards the open door, where he had seen something stir in the shadows. He squinted to get a closer look. And then he saw him.

"You!" Naruto exclaimed.

* * *

Deidara flinched as Naruto called out to him, his eyes burning with a mixture of emotions. Deidara slowly turned around to face Naruto properly, and bowed his head in respect.

"I apologize. I knew coming here might not have been the best idea, but I needed to warn you about the nightly feed. It will be taking place shortly, so I must ask you to stay in this room," he murmured quietly.

"Fine. You've said what you wanted to say, now get out," Naruto said quite venomously, pulling Kiba behind him protectively.

"Ru-Ru..." Kiba whimpered as he tried to push his way past Naruto.

"No Kiba, it's quite alright. I can understand why your brother is upset. After all, I work for his captors. He has the right not to trust me, and you should not trust me so easily." Deidara said, a pained smile on his face.

"Of course I can trust you!" Kiba exclaimed, "You're my friend!"

Naruto scoffed angrily, turning his head sharply away from Deidara. Deidara smiled sadly.

"I shall depart now. Farewell."

Deidara bowed once more and then disappeared down the darkening corridor, closing the door behind him. Naruto only released Kiba when he could no longer hear Deidara's footsteps.

"Ru-Ru! What the hell did you do that for?! Dei-Dei is a friend! He was nice to me! You didn't have to be so-"

"What Kiba?" Naruto snapped, "I didn't have to protect you from someone who is on the same side as mad, bloodthirsty vampires?! Kiba, he works for them! How many times do I have to say it?! He's dangerous! You have no idea what he's capable of-"

"And neither do you!" Kiba yelled angrily, "Ru-Ru, you need to learn how to trust people! Seriously, you have no idea how kind Dei-Dei is, and just because he works for vampires, you suddenly think the worst! Have you ever thought that maybe Deidara doesn't want to serve them? That he's being held against his will? Huh, Ru-Ru? Ever thought about that?"

Naruto's eyes widened, and he suddenly froze. Being held against his will? Could it be true? Naruto could see something like that happening. A late teen who ran away from home stumbling across an abandoned castle, thinking it was the perfect place to stay until he found his feet. Then, come nightfall, the vampires wake up, and instead of killing him, they make him their personal servant. So the kid remains a slave, destined to fetch live human beings and serve them up as a main course to undead beings until the end of time.

Naruto shook his head, dismissing the thought immediately. He couldn't afford to trust someone who was a servant to his enemy. The only person he could trust was Kiba, and no one else. They were alone; they had been since their father died.

And they always would be. Naruto didn't want anyone else interfering in their lives, trying to make things better, or trying to make things worse. Naruto had become a far too cautious person, but these days, he had to be. Trusting people, letting people in, was just an impossibility. He couldn't even let his friends get too close. And trusting someone like Deidara? It was madness. Pure madness.

But.....if Deidara had been captured, then why didn't he fight back? If he was a captive, then why did he choose to remain that way? Wasn't there any way to escape? Did he realize that he would never be free?

Was there no way of getting out?

Without warning, a familiar scream echoed with such force, it made Naruto and Kiba almost jump out of their skin. Kiba's eyes immediately widened, and he grabbed the sides of his head, as if he was trying to rip his own ears off. He cringed and screwed his eyes tightly shut, rocking backwards and forwards to block out the noise. Naruto knew instantly what was happening. He had heard that scream far too many times.

It was feeding time.

He quickly grabbed Kiba and sat him gently up against his chest, pressing his own hands tightly against Kiba's, to help block out the noise. Unfortunately, Naruto could not block his own ears. As the screams continued, more of his memories returned to him. He saw Sora and Towa, screaming in agony as Itachi and Sasuke grasped them tightly, sinking their large fangs into their necks. Breaking skin; a fountain of blood; the sighs of satisfaction escaping from the vampires' lips. He shuddered, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his neck.

It didn't take long for the screaming to stop. It vanished as quickly as it came, immediately silenced, as if the sound had never existed at all. The smell of fresh blood wafted through the corridor outside, and seeped through the cracks in the door. Naruto wrinkled his nose in disgust, fighting the urge to be sick.

Kiba slowly reached up and tapped Naruto's hands, to gain his attention. When Naruto looked down into Kiba's widened eyes, he saw him mouth the words, '_Is it over yet?_'

Naruto nodded, smiling weakly in reply, removing his hands so that Kiba could release his own from his ears. He looked at his older brother, and said quietly, "You blocked my ears. Why didn't you cover your own?"

Naruto smiled softly. "You're my little brother. I'm here to look out for you."

Kiba smiled sadly in return, and turned away from Naruto, a look of guilt on his face. He decided to look around the room, taking careful note of everything in it, just to give himself something to do, rather than having an awkward conversation with his big brother, or meet his bright blue eyes. He saw the writing desk with various quills on it - not that he knew what they were - and loads of writing paper. He saw the mirror, the curtains-

And then he saw the chains. His eyes widened to an incredible size.

"Ru-Ru!" he exclaimed, bounding over his big brother to grab his ankles, ignoring Naruto's cries of pain and protest, "What happened?! Why have you got chains on?!"

"You only noticed them now?" Naruto asked, an eyebrow raised, "Jeez Kiba, you have sucky observational skills..."

"Don't change the subject!" he snapped, "Why have you got them on?! Surely Dei-Dei wouldn't have-"

"It was necessary."

Naruto and Kiba both immediately looked towards the door, where Deidara was standing once more, his eyes downcast.

"Lord Itachi-sama said that he didn't want you falling out of bed in excitement. He said that it was a safety precaution," Deidara whispered.

"That bastard..." Naruto growled.

"Dei-Dei!" Kiba said, "Please tell me you didn't.....I mean you wouldn't have-"

Deidara closed his eyes, "I am sorry Kiba. I did as I was told."

A small whimpering sound escaped Kiba's lips as he turned around, his back to Deidara. Deidara stared at Kiba sorrowfully, tightly clasping his hands in front of his body. Slowly he turned towards Naruto, and with his head bowed, he said, "Lord Itachi-sama wishes to see you, now that the nightly feed had finished."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Well he can forget it," he hissed between his teeth.

"He says it is necessary," Deidara replied, trying not to sound too demanding.

"I don't care," Naruto said angrily, "You tell him to get stuffed. I am not leaving this room."

"Naruto-kun please-" Deidara began.

"Don't you dare call me Naruto-kun!" Naruto barked, his eyes glowering dangerously, "Don't you dare call me Naruto-kun like he does! Like that **bastard** does!"

Deidara flinched. "I apologize Naruto," he murmured, "Forgive my rudeness. But please, you must go and see Itachi-sama. He wishes to see you, to see if you are alright. He said that he was worried about you, after what happened in the tunnel."

"Worried?!?" Naruto scoffed, "Don't make me laugh! He was the one who chased me down there in the bloody first place! Worried?!? You have got to be kidding! I am no way falling for that!"

"Naruto, please," Deidara begged, "If you don't go, Itachi-sama says that he will come up here instead, and I do not wish young Kiba to see Itachi-sama after he has just had his nightly feed."

Naruto stiffened. Imagining the vampire's blood-stained clothes, and his teeth dripping crimson, made Naruto's blood run cold. He would not let Itachi go anywhere near Kiba, definitely after what had nearly happened. Naruto hated to admit it, but Deidara was right.

He had to go.

Naruto slowly turned to Kiba, and rested his shaking hands on top of Kiba's shoulders in a reassuring manner. Kiba turned his head around to look at his older brother, and when he saw the look in Naruto's eyes, his own eyes widened.

"Ru-Ru! You can't go! Are you crazy?! You'll get hurt!" he cried, grabbing onto his brother's arms.

"Don't worry Kiba," Naruto replied, smiling weakly, "I'll be fine."

He bent down and wrapped his arms around Kiba, holding him once more in a tight hug. Kiba held on with bone-crushing strength. Naruto leaned into the side of Kiba's head, and whispered quietly, "I will come back to you. I promise. Just stay up here for now, okay?"

Naruto let go of Kiba, continuing to force the smile upon his face so that Kiba would know to be brave. The message seemed to get across, because the same feeble smile spread across Kiba's face. Naruto nodded in approval.

He turned around, changing his smile quickly into a look of indifference, and said to Deidara, "Okay. Let's go."

Deidara bowed respectfully, before he reached into his pocket to retrieve an old iron key. He walked towards the bed, and shoving the key into the lock, he quickly removed the anklets from Naruto's feet. Dropping the chains to the floor, Deidara turned around and walked towards the door, beckoning Naruto to follow.

Naruto very carefully shuffled off of the bed, his heart aching as Kiba whined in protest, and then he walked slowly towards Deidara, never once taking his eyes off of the man.

Deidara bowed once more, and then vanished through the doorway and into the darkened corridor. Naruto allowed himself one last glance of his baby brother, before he too vanished within the darkness.

* * *

The darkness seemed never-ending as Naruto and Deidara made their way through the endless stream of corridors, much to Naruto discomfort. Even though Deidara had produced a small candle from his pocket, which he had lit moments after they had left the room, Naruto could not help still feeling uneasy surrounded by shadows. However, he had tried not to show any weakness in front of the vampires' servant. His pride would not allow it.

Deidara chuckled softly. "You are right to fear me young Naruto. I am glad that you do."

"I'm not scared of you," Naruto hissed quickly.

"You fear those who drink the blood of the living. You do not have to hide this fact. And I know that the thought of someone who you believe to be human serving monsters is an even scarier thought. Every living soul on this Earth fears those who walk in shadow, you are not the only one."

"What, even you?" Naruto asked in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

Deidara's head lowered, and he said in such a quiet voice, Naruto had to strain to hear, "Yes. Even me."

Naruto stopped dead. Deidara sensed that he had frozen, so he too stopped walking.

"Naruto, if we are late, then Itachi-sama will not be pleased," Deidara stated quietly.

Naruto stayed quiet, until he muttered, "What are you?"

Deidara paused at this strange question. "What do you mean Naruto?"

"What.....are you?" he asked again, "Are you actually human? Or are you....something else?"

Deidara sighed in realisation, before walking towards Naruto and looking down into his confused blue eyes. He stayed there for a few moments, not once taking his eyes off of Naruto, something that scared Naruto very much. After a while, Deidara turned around, and began walking again, as if nothing had happened. Naruto blinked dazedly, and wondered what had just happened. He took two steps down the corridor, just two steps, before he heard Deidara's voice whisper something in a mourning tone.

Naruto froze once more. His heart missed a beat. He suddenly felt very dizzy, as if the room was swaying beneath him. Deidara gazed back at him kindly, a look of pain in his eyes, and called, "We must hurry Naruto. Itachi-sama does not like to be kept waiting."

Naruto nodded slowly, and stumbled down the corridor after Deidara, his legs feeling as heavy as lead. He just couldn't believe what Deidara had said.

It was just impossible.

The words of sadness still echoed in his ears.

_I don't even know anymore._

_

* * *

_Sharp teeth scraped across deep, rich crimson, not yet hard enough to pierce the skin. With one swift bite, fangs sank into soft, moist flesh, and the sweet inner juices flowed through his open mouth, attempting to tantalizing taste buds that had long been dead. A little bit of excess juice trickled slowly down his chin. The apple quickly turned a decaying brown, but he paid this no real attention. His hungry eyes remained fixated on the deliciously helpless blonde sitting across the table, his eyes full of fear and nervousness. He chuckled softly and pierced the blood red apple once more, imagining instead piercing the tender flesh of an exposed neck, and pretending the fluid gushing through his mouth was the sweet nectar that runs through human veins. **(3)**

"Hello......Naruto-kun," Itachi growled somewhat seductively.

Naruto flinched, his hands shaking so much, he hid them from view. Itachi chuckled.

"You do not need to be afraid of me, Naruto-kun. I am not your enemy."

"Then what are you?" Naruto asked, his voice cracking.

"I am more.....an aquaintance at the present time," Itachi began, "But I would like to get to know you a lot better, Naruto-kun."

Naruto remained silent, too afraid to dignify Itachi's strange comment with a response. He stayed still, and tried to avoid eye contact with Itachi at all costs.

"Maybe we should......share a toast together. As aquaintances," Itachi suggested.

"What?" Naruto asked in puzzlement.

"Deidara-kun," Itachi called out, "You can go and fetch it now."

Naruto remained completely confused, his face twisted into a look of frightened curiosity, until moments later, the wooden doors behind him burst open, revealing Deidara carrying a single, finely polished metal tray. On top of it, was a single crystal glass, and a very old looking bottle of wine.

"I hate to disappoint you," Naruto said sarcastically, "But I'm too young to drink."

"Nonsense Naruto-kun," Itachi replied, "You are now my most humble guest, and I must treat you to my hospilality, correct?"

"Since when was I your guest!? You were trying to.....to-"

"That is all forgotten Naruto-kun," Itachi smirked, "I would rather spend my time with you like this, lesuirely I mean. To simply waste a life like yours....it would be a crime against nature."

Naruto tried to ignore that remark, but could not help feeling suddenly uncomfortable in Itachi's presense. What did he mean by, '_spend my time'_? Was Itachi trying to say that they were going to be seeing a lot more of each other? Did that mean Itachi wasn't going to release him for a long time, if ever? Naruto felt more like a prisoner than a guest, especially since Itachi had chained him down, to keep him from running away.

_I mean, is the guy that desperate to keep me here? _Naruto asked himself. _If he doesn't want to drink my blood, then what the hell does he want me for? Just saying I'm here for company is a load of crap. He has Deidara for that. No, this is something else entirely._

He looked towards the right hand side of Itachi, where Sasuke was leaning against the wall, his head bent downwards as if he wanted nothing to do with the proceedings. When he observed closer, he could see that Sasuke's hands were clenched into fists, and he was gritting his teeth. Whether it was in disgust, or whether he was fighting off the urge to kill him on the spot, Naruto wasn't sure.

_Is it something to do with him? After all, I have no idea what he's like. I mean, I saw him in that dream I had, but he looked so fragile, nothing like what he is now. Was it the past? Or was it just a dream? After all, he seems more like his brother than anything now. Maybe the two of them are in on something together._

Naruto looked into Itachi's coal coloured eyes, as if the answer to his question was somehow lying within them.

But all he could see was black.

"Well Naruto-kun, drink up."

Naruto snapped out of his trance and looked down in front of him. He had not noticed that Deidara had placed the glass in front of him, and now the whole room was waiting for him to drink. He shirked away from the cup in fear.

"What's wrong Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked inquisitively.

"....How do I know....." Naruto murmured nervously, "How do I know that it isn't poisoned?"

Itachi's eyes widened, and then without warning, he began chuckling cruelly, his laugh echoing around the room, and sending shivers down Naruto's spine. Sasuke just shook his head.

"Do you want me to test it first Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked, his laughter still booming, "Are you that mistrustful of me?"

"But you can't die from poison," Naruto replied.

"How do you know what can and cannot kill me, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto stayed silent.

Itachi sighed. "Fine Naruto-kun. I will have Deidara-kun drink it, and then you'll see that you can trust me. Deidara-kun?"

Deidara was already way ahead of Itachi. He already had hold of the glass in his hand, and without waiting for any further orders, he downed the glass in one. Naruto waited for any sign of a reaction to the liquid, but surprisingly, Deidara stayed on his feet, not even wavering. Naruto waited a few moments more.

Still nothing.

"You see?" Itachi said casually, a smirk dancing across his lips, "You can trust me Naruto-kun. I am not trying to kill you."

_Not now you're not, _Naruto thought. _But what about later? I'd be stupid to trust you Itachi. But I can't argue with evidence. It's not poisoned. _

_But if it's not poisoned - _

_Then what are you planning?_

"Alright Itachi," Naruto replied slowly, "You win."

Itachi's smirk grew. "I love it when you say that. Say it again," he purred.

Naruto hissed in disgust, which made Itachi chuckle.

"Fine. Deidara-kun? Please pour Naruto-kun another glass, and don't use the glass you just used. We don't want to seem slovenly, do we?"

Deidara bowed to his master before vanishing through the door behind him to retrieve a fresh glass. Naruto, Itachi and Sasuke waited in complete, unnerving silence.

It didn't take Deidara long to get a clean glass. He grabbed the wine bottle and poured some of the ruby red liquid inside. Walking very carefully towards Naruto, he placed the glass in front of him, and then stepped back.

Naruto picked up the glass, examining the liquid carefully with his own eyes. He heard a small snigger from opposite side of the table, so he stopped, not wanting to amuse the vampires any more than he already had. Taking a deep breath, he swirled the liquid around in the glass once, before trying to down it whole, just like Deidara had done.

An immediate taste of wild fruits hit his tongue. He couldn't help but smile as the delicious taste travelled through his whole mouth, refreshing his senses.

He liked it.

"What do you think Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked slowly.

Naruto nodded, not being able to answer, because some of the drink was still in his mouth. He didn't want to swallow it.

"Really? Describe it to me."

Naruto paused, swallowing the remainder of the wine. Why did Itachi want him to describe it?

"...Why?" he asked slowly.

"Just do it," Itachi demanded in a dangerous tone.

Naruto couldn't help but flinch as Itachi's eyes glowed piercingly at him from across the table, like they were staring right through him. When he looked into those sharp eyes, all he could imagine was a rage of violet fire. Naruto shivered. It did not take him long to realize that not answering Itachi's command would be a very stupid move. So, he began to think, biting his lip obsessively in the process to help himself concentrate.

"Well," he began, "It was sort of.....fruity when I first tasted it-"

"What kind of fruit Naruto-kun?" Itachi immediately interrupted.

"Um....kind of....cherry....but grape at the same time...it's really weird," he replied, almost licking his lips as if it would help him remember.

"What does that taste like?" Itachi asked inquisitvely, bending forward and resting his chin delicately on his intertwined hands.

"Kind of sharp. But not too sharp...and sweet..."

"And does it have a certain....after-taste....Naruto-kun?"

Naruto froze. An after-taste? Now that he thought about it, he could feel something strange creep across his tongue. He tried to work out what it was, but it was a mystery to his senses.

"Yeah..." he breathed, "It does..." **(4)**

He looked at Itachi for some kind of answer, but when he saw his face, he knew something was wrong. Itachi was almost grinning with pleasure, his fangs protruding from his slightly open mouth. His eyes were alight with anticipation and curiosity, and he was leaning so far forward, it looked like he could hardly contain himself, which made Naruto suddenly extremely nervous. He looked to Deidara, who met Naruto's gaze, and immediately turned away, screwing his eyes tightly shut, as if he did not want to see. Naruto's heart began to race uncontrollalby. He now knew something was definitely wrong. Almost too afraid to look, he turned towards Sasuke, and saw two gleaming eyes staring back at him. His heart almost stopped beating. Just by looking into his eyes, he could tell that Sasuke was waiting for a reaction from him. And a bad one at that.

"An after-taste Naruto-kun?" Itachi snickered, "And what does that taste like? Naruto.....kun?"

Naruto choked.

He knew what they were waiting for.

Now that he knew what it was, the taste of it hit him full on.

The over-powering metallic taste of iron.

In other words -

Blood.

He had only tasted blood once before. It was during a soccer match, when a particularly bulky kid had kicked the football straight into his face when he had been in goal. The force of the ball hitting him knocked one of his teeth out, and a whole puddle of blood flowed through his mouth.

But this was worse.

Far worse.

The taste of blood was strong; too strong, and it was through his whole mouth. The sensation of the after-taste felt like his tongue was drowning in a pool of blood, and he couldn't spit it out, because it wasn't actually there. What was worse, was the fact that the intensity of the taste was growing by the minute, and no matter how much he retched and spat, he could not get rid of it.

It was disgusting. He felt bile rise up in his throat, stinging him and making his eyes water. He immediately held a hand to his mouth, jumped up and ran as fast and as far as his legs would carry him, pushing the wooden door blocking his path open with his free hand and vanishing from Itachi's sight. Deidara gasped, and quickly followed Naruto, to check that he was alright. Itachi on the other hand, could no longer contain his joy, and roared with laughter, an actual tear trickling from his right eye.

He slowly got up, walked over to the bottle, and carefully picked it up. He chuckled as he examined the label.

"'Sang de la Vigne', or 'Blood of the Vine' as it is known in most countries. Poor Naruto-kun. He didn't know that we cannot taste anything but blood. After all, why would we have a bottle of wine, if it did not have some blood in its contents?" he murmured, turning the bottle over in his hand.** (5)**

He turned sharply towards Sasuke, who was still leaning against the wall, his face composed, unlike his older brother.

"What do you think otouto? He would be perfect, would he not? A fine specimen, and interesting too. We are going to have a lot more fun with him, I am sure. What do you think?" he asked.

"Of course onii-sama, what ever you wish," was Sasuke's sombre reply.

"Come now Sasuke!" Itachi exclaimed, "Cheer up! The night is still young after all! And our time with Uzumaki Naruto, my dear otouto, is far from over."

* * *

**(1)** Itachi does not actually want to die, he';s just very overprotective of his younger brother. This was back when Itachi was actually quite a nice guy...sort of....XD**  
(2) **I got the word 'gouts' from reading 'Macbeth' in my English class. My teacher started explaining it, saying it sort of stood for the gush of hot blood. I sat there and thought, "Hm, that would be good for As Red As Blood" :D  
**(3) **I had so much fun writing this paragraph. To get it just right, I ate a blood red apple before writing it, so I could get the description perfect. Hopefully it sounds ok ^^  
**(4) **Can anyone guess what it is?  
**(5) **I got the translation from a site called 'Babelfish'. If it is a wrong translation, then I apologize. ^^

So what did everyone think? I got a little worried, because I wanted the 'Sasuke-getting-shot' scene to be perfect. I have never written something like that before, so I hope it's okay. ^^

Once again Itachi shows us just how much of a jerk he really is. But it's fun writing him as a "bad boy" character! A lot of you are wondering how Naruto and Sasuke are going to be able to get together if Sasuke is a "bad boy" too, but don't worry, all will be revealed later on.....

And once again, I sort of left the chapter as a cliffhanger. I am sooooo sorry, but I can't help it! It just keeps happening! I will try and not do as many cliffhangers for the rest of 2009 ^^

I enjoyed writing the last scene sooooo much!! ^^ I planned this months ago, and I am pretty glad with how it turned out ^^

I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter, and remember, reviews would be very much appreciated!

Until next time!

N-I-N


	5. Will You Ever Gain My Trust?

Hi everyone! It's been such a long time since I've published a chapter of As Red As Blood, and I just wanted to take the time now to apologize to all of my readers for the long wait. I am truly very, very sorry for keeping you all in suspense for so long. I hope you can all forgive me for being so slow with the new chapter. I write to make people happy, and taking such a long time with this, I feel as if I have let you all down. I apologize.

I also wanted to thank everyone for leaving me so many amazing reviews. Knowing that people are reading and enjoying my work, it really makes me so very, very happy. You guys have no idea how much your reviews mean to me. I am just so glad that I am able to connect with you guys and make you happy :) You guys are so awesome ^^

So, without further ado, I give to you the new chapter of 'As Red As Blood'. I hope you all enjoy, and I hope you all have a very wonderful Christmas this year :)

* * *

"Naruto! Naruto, please wait!"

"Don't you dare! You stay back!"

"Naruto please!"

"You're just as bad as _they_ are!"

"You do not understand!"

"Like hell I don't!"

Naruto ran towards the large oak doors, his entire body quivering to fight the intense urge to throw up. He commanded his legs to move, to just run that few extra feet, but without warning, his knees buckled and his feet gave out under him, causing him to collapse in a heap on the floor. His whole body felt weak and shaky, and he could still taste the bitter iron on his lips. He knew he didn't have the strength to get back up again; the thought made him feel ill. So he began to crawl across the floor, dragging his limp body across the cool stone in a last pathetic attempt to reach the door.

"Naruto please stop it, you are going to make yourself sick!" Deidara cried.

"I need to get out of here, and you aren't going to stop me!" he yelled back.

He scrabbled at the oak door, digging his nails roughly into the wood as he pulled himself upwards. He knew he must have looked feeble, but he could not care less. He just wanted out.

He needed to get out.

"You cannot leave Naruto, you are ill. Please, let me take care of you," Deidara said softly.

"You just wanna keep me here. . .as a snack for your. . . _masters_. . ."

"That is not true!" he exclaimed.

Naruto scoffed, ripping into the door with his hands, hissing as the ancient wood buried itself into his flesh and drew blood. The smell of it added to his nausea.

"You are not going. . .to keep me here!" he groaned weakly.

"Forgive my rudeness Naruto," Deidara said, "But what about your brother? Would you just leave him here?"

He paused. And in that single moment, as he pictured his little brother left in the hands of murderous, twisted vampires, the bile reached a boiling point in his throat.

"_Naruto_!" Deidara shrieked as he watched him empty the contents of his stomach onto the floor.

Naruto inhaled heavily, choking slightly on the mixed smell of vomit and blood, and shuddering as an overwhelming light-headed feeling swamped his head. He tried to breathe again, but oxygen completely escaped him. He was grabbed roughly by Deidara as he fell through the air; he watched Deidara with blurred vision as he shook him vigorously to keep him conscious, but he could barely even hear him any more.

His senses failed as his eyes rolled quickly into the back of his head, and everything faded into darkness.

* * *

He felt a rush of air escape his lungs as his eyes snapped open, revealing the darkened candle-lit corridors of the underground chambers of the Uchiha mansion. Naruto hoped beyond hope that he was dreaming, but quickly rejected the idea. After the events of his last dream, he was not anxious to have a similar one any time soon.

"But why am I here?" he asked the darkness, "In my last dream. . .I was in -"

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a thundering loud bang that echoed all around him and shattered his dwindling confidence. A deep scream followed. Naruto feared the worst.

"Where are you?!" he heard a familiar voice yell, "My patience grows thin! Hurry up and **finish what you started**!"

Once again, the nagging urge to follow the hunter became present in his mind, and although his legs wanted to obey this curiosity, his heart was fluttering so badly he felt that it would leap out of his chest.

"I'm waiting!" he roared, "Or are you just a coward?!"

Naruto gasped as a sudden strong wind billowed through the cobbled corridors, forcing him forward with its strength, followed by a thundering growl that send shudders coursing through his entire body. Goosebumps immediately broke out on his skin, and a cold sweat attack his face and neck. For his heart remembered that monstrous snarl all too well.

Slowly - and very, very carefully - he turned around, bracing himself, and all the while fiercely praying that he was wrong.

But he wasn't wrong.

Standing behind him, his lengthened fangs bared, and his eyes staring ferociously through the darkness was the monster from his nightmare.

Itachi Uchiha.

"You took your time getting here _monster_."

Naruto swiveled back round, his eyes widening as he came face to face with the barrel of a rather large gun.

"I was getting bored," the hunter sighed, "I thought you would go after me straight away, but alas, the other two followed me instead. But I'm not too picky. So I finished them off first, as you can see."

Naruto looked at the hunter in confusion, and - as if the hunter could actually see Naruto's bewilderment - he smiled and looked down. Naruto followed the direction of his gaze and his eyes widened as he saw a large pile of ash at his feet.

"They wasted away easier than I thought they would," he chuckled, kicking the pile roughly and laughing as the ashes scattered into nothingness.

Naruto yelled as Itachi howled like a wild animal, spittle spraying from his open mouth as his fangs buried themselves into his bottom lip, and blood burst from the open skin. The hunter just cackled even louder.

"That's right vampire!" he shouted, aiming the gun directly over Itachi's heart, "**Show me the monster that you really are!" **

Naruto wanted to move; he tried to, but for some reason his legs felt like they were stuck to the cold ground. The same tightening claustrophobic aura he had felt in the underground chambers when he was running from the vampire brothers now plagued him once more, further restricting his movement. But this was worse. His heart felt like it was tightening inside his chest, like something had reached into his ribcage and was squeezing the organ to the point when it would explode. He twisted his shirt in agony, tearing viciously at the fabric, as he heard the clattering, slow footsteps behind him.

He turned painfully just as Itachi was approaching, his eyes no longer visible underneath his jagged black hair. He heard the hunter hiss in pleasure.

A horrendous silence followed as he waited for one of them to move. He tried to ignore the stabbing pain in his chest; there was a part of him that felt he could not miss the events that would occur.

Another moment of silence.

And another.

And another.

And then it was shattered.

Without warning, Itachi flew straight through Naruto, sending an icy shockwave ripping through his veins, causing him to spasm uncontrollably, his limbs twitching and his face contorting. He collapsed in a heap on the floor as Itachi suddenly appeared directly in front of the hunter, crouched low in a predatory stance, his eyes glowering and flickering a dangerous violet. He thrusted his sharpened claws forward and squeezed the hunter's throat tightly within his talons, ripping through the black mask and piercing the smooth skin underneath.

"So here you are," the hunter choked, "The monster that. . . killed my little brother. I've been. . .waiting for you."

The hunter threw his arm up and fired the gun directly into Itachi's face, cursing loudly as the vampire easily dodged the bullet. He dropped the hunter and flung himself backwards onto a wall; he bent his knees and with a growl he pushed himself forward with tremendous force, throwing himself at the hunter with the desire to kill. He dug his claws into the hunter's shoulders and tried to rip into his neck, but he fought back, hitting Itachi in the face with the handle of his gun before he had the chance to bite through his skin. Itachi pressed the hunter against the wall so roughly the stone began to crack under the strain. He lifted his gun up to shoot Itachi, but as soon as he saw the movement he crushed the hunter's hand, forcing him to drop the gun as his bones were crushed between Itachi's strong fingers.

"I am usually quite a docile creature _hunter_," Itachi growled in a low guttural tone as the hunter began to scream, "And I do not always allow myself to be angered so easily. But now -"

With a single move, he grabbed the hunter's head and pushed it deeply into the stone, sighing pleasantly as he heard his skull crack.

"- I am pissed off."

Raising a free hand, he clenched it tightly into a fist, cracking his knuckles in the process. Pulling his fist backwards, he grinned, baring his dripping fangs in a challenging manner, and then he hit the hunter with all of his superhuman force. Blood spurted out of the hunter's mouth, and it seeped into his black mask, making him choke and gag.

"You come into my home," Itachi murmured dangerously.

The hunter's cheekbone cracked under the pressure of Itachi's fist.

"You threaten us with your _humane_ brutality."

Another punch bruised and bloodied his right eye.

"You **dare** to kill my family -"

Another dislocated his nose.

" - and raise your weapon at me -"

Another shattered his jaw.

" - all for the sake of your **foolish human revenge**!"

Itachi pulled the hunter close, so that their noses were almost touching, so that the hunter could feel the venomous aura dripping from him. He breathed lightly on his prey, chuckling quietly as the human was drifting in and out of consciousness.

"No no," Itachi whispered, shaking him roughly to keep him alive, "This isn't over yet. You see, I need to continue the vicious circle, and exact my own revenge on your _bloodied corpse_."

Naruto watched as Itachi began to punch the hunter again and again, laughing manically as his blood painted his knuckles; however, Naruto was not sure if the hunter was even alive anymore. He tried to reach out to the grotesque scene in front of him - to protect the human that so clearly needed this help - but his body was still shaking too badly. His vision began to flicker and his head was throbbing uncontrollably on the inside of his skull. He reached just a bit further, and suddenly felt a wave of pain wrack his entire body with such force he could not bite back the scream.

And once more, Naruto faded quickly into unconsciousness.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he was in the room he had woken up in from his last dream, however this time he was lying on the floor. He blinked a couple of times as he slowly sat up, groaning as the uncomfortable throbbing returned to his head. He had no idea why he was lying on the floor - or who put him there - but at that moment in time, he could not have cared less. At least he wasn't chained up this time.

And at least he was no longer trapped inside his latest nightmare.

He ran a hand through his blonde spikes and carefully pulled himself up onto his knees, resting his arms gently on top of the soft satin sheets of the four-poster bed.

And that's when he saw him.

Tied to the bed with the same iron shackles that had been used on him, was the hunter, the black mask that had once completely covered his face now ripped to shreds. Each bare patch of skin was decorated with deep cuts and dark bruises, and each time the hunter breathed in, Naruto could see that the movement was painful.

Though he knew that the hunter would not be able to see him no matter what he did, he still found himself approaching carefully. Now that his body was no longer suffering from the spasms that had plagued him previously, he slowly reached out to the near-lifeless figure, stretching his fingers towards the hunter's mask, struck with the sudden curiosity to unmask the troublesome stranger.

"I see that you are finally awake."

Naruto yelped in surprise as Itachi's quiet words sent shivers down his spine. He turned around to see the vampire standing coldly against the door, his arms crossed tightly against his chest. Looking at his facial expression, Naruto could see that he had calmed down since the confrontation in the underground chambers. However, even thought Itachi looked slightly more relaxed, Naruto still felt nervous looking into his shimmering blood red eyes. He jumped again when he heard the hunter stir behind him.

He chuckled, coughing slightly in the process. "I'm honoured that you've graced me with your presence _sir_," the hunter said mockingly, "Come to finish. . .what you started?"

"No," Itachi answered monotonously, "I have decided that it would be in my best interest to keep you alive. For now."

The hunter wheezed a laugh. "And why is that?"

Itachi moved himself backwards, opening the door slowly with his body, until he leaned leisurely against the door frame. On the opposite side of the darkened hallway, a door was open, revealing the inside of another room. The room itself was also darkened; the curtains had been drawn and hurriedly nailed to the wall to protect its new inhabitant against the light of day.

In this room - lying on an identical four-poster bed - was Sasuke.

Naruto watched as the young vampire twitched and cried out in an unconscious stupor, his eyelids fluttering constantly due to a raging fever, his clothes still stained with his own blood. Again, Naruto could not help but feel an overwhelming sadness when he saw the young Sasuke. Though he loathed the Uchiha brothers, seeing a young boy go through such pain brought an uneasy and sorrowful feeling to the pit of his stomach.

"The boy is still alive. . ?" the hunter breathed.

"He's holding on," Itachi murmured, looking longingly at his baby brother, "He refuses to die, though this life now causes him great pain."

He slowly turned to look at his prisoner, a confident - yet lonely - smile on his sixteen year old face.

"You underestimated us human," he growled, "Though our parents may have fallen in the battle, their offspring still lives. And while we still live, the Uchiha carries on. Our ancient blood runs deep and strong. You know nothing of our power."

"Spare me," the hunter spat, "The Uchiha have been successfully hunted down since their creation. Countless members of your clan have fallen at the hands of my brethren. If you didn't realize, you and your brother are the only Uchiha left in the whole world. It's just you, and him." He laughed menacingly. "And by the looks of things, very soon it'll be just you."

"Don't you dare think you can get away with saying whatever you feel like!" Itachi hissed, throwing himself on top of the hunter, dragging him upwards by a fistful of his hair, "I could kill you with a flick of my wrist if I so wished for it! So don't even try and mess around with me!"

"My my, it is very rare to see an Uchiha so. . .distraught and un-composed like this. It's quite thrilling," the hunter replied weakly, still managing to fight back with a cocky grin.

His smile grew as he noticed that his comment had affected Itachi, and he slowly released his tightened grip on the hunter's hair. Standing back and taking an unnecessary yet deep breath, he said, "You will stay here until you cure my brother. If you refuse, I will make your life a living hell until you help him." **(1)**

"Why the hell would I help him?!" he yelled, "When I get the chance I shall kill him, and then I'm coming after you!"

"Then you will rot here," Itachi hissed.

He turned to walk out of the room, leaving Naruto and the hunter in confinement. However, as he was shutting the door, he stopped, leaving a thin crack between the door and the wall so that the two of them could see a single burning blood eye. Naruto shuddered.

"You **will** help my brother," Itacih murmured threateningly, "As you may have heard, I can be very _persuasive_." His voice took on a dangerous tone. "But I warn you. If at any point my brother dies, then there will be no more mercy. I shall destroy you, and wreak havoc on the town below, until each and every human is dead and I have coated myself in their blood. I promise you that."

And with that, he left.

Naruto exhaled loudly, not realizing he had been holding his breath to begin with. The tension between vampire and hunter was nerve-wracking; he could feel their disgust for each other in the air. But happy that he was no longer stuck in the middle of their glaring match, he turned back round to look at the hunter, wondering how he had taken Itachi's threat. Even though Naruto did not know him particularly well, he knew him enough to know that he was not one to take such a comment. And sure enough, he was growling in frustration, shaking his head vigorously and cursing all of vampire-kind underneath his breath.

"Damn that bastard," he snarled, "H-he thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants! _Shit_. No matter what he says, there is no way that I am going to help him! I would rather bite my own tongue and drown in my own blood than help him! But I can't. Not yet. I have to kill them first. Argh! God damn it! What the hell is happening!?"

Naruto's eyes widened as the hunter screeched continuous threats. He had known the hunter to be angry - he had witnessed it first hand. But that was angry in a more. . .renegade cop kind of way.

But angry in an insane-asylum kind of way?

It just didn't seem his style. It was shocking, and yet in a strange sense. . .familiar. There was a peculiar nagging feeling in the back of his mind - something he had been experiencing a lot recently, and much to his annoyance - and it was intensifying at every passing second.

He just had to see under the mask. **(2)**

But he could not.

For as soon as he had moved, his body began to scream with pain - just like it had before - forcing him to the ground.

"You have got to be kiddin' me!" he howled, curling tightly into a fetal position, gagging as a horrible nausea clawed its way up his windpipe.

Every colour; sight; sound; smell; everything just blended into nothing. Everything reversed and then re-reversed in a matter of seconds. It all vanished and then re-appeared just as easily. Pain became non-existent. Then existent again.

This time, he passed out almost instantly.

* * *

"Naruto? Naruto!"

His body reacted before his mind and stomach were ready; he shot up from his sick bed for an instant, before falling back down into the soft mattress. His head was pulsating uncomfortably, but the pain was inside, like someone had injected poison in through his skull.

"Please try and relax," Deidara coaxed, pressing lightly on Naruto's shoulders to keep him down, "You obtained some injuries and you have not regained your full strength just yet."

Naruto choked. "Injuries?"

"Only on your hands," Deidara reassured, "There were quite a few splinters buried in your skin, but I think I got most of them out."

He bent his fingers slightly, feeling the light weight of the bandages against his skin; his hands quickly began to burn, reminding him of the bitter memory of his futile escape. A dry taste filled his mouth.

"You treated. . .my injuries?"

Deidara's gaze fell. "I did not. . .I did not want them to get infected."

A few moments of silence. And then -

"Why are you doing this?"

Deidara froze. ". . .Doing what?"

"You act so nice to me, and make me feel like I can trust you. When I actually start to believe that you're a nice guy, you do something to screw me over, and it just makes me hate you again!"

He sighed, fiddling nervously with his sleeves. "I. . .I-I never did anything. . .to gain your trust - "

"Cut the crap," Naruto groaned, "You keep doing 'good-guy' things, like bandaging my injuries, and looking after my little brother. But you're just a puppet of the Uchihas, that dances on little strings for them, and obeys every goddamn command they give you. So why are you trying to convince us that you're a good person?!"

"Because he **is** a good person!"

Naruto's head turned to face his little brother who was standing at the door, his hands held boldly on his hips like a modern day cartoon superhero. In any normal situation, Naruto would have laughed at Kiba's act of childish heroism.

But what was going on could not exactly be considered a 'normal situation'.

"Kiba, what are you doing?" Naruto asked tiredly, "This doesn't concern you -"

"The hell it doesn't!" he retorted, "Dei-Dei is a close friend of mine, so I don't wanna hear you insulting him like that!"

"What have I told you about saying 'hell' Kiba?!"

"Kiba, please," Deidara pleaded, "You do not have to defend me -"

"Yes I do!" Kiba whined, "Ru-Ru is saying that you're not a good person! But you are a good person Dei-Dei, you've always been a good person!"

"Kiba just stop it," Naruto ordered, his voice taking on a parental tone, "You don't have any idea what Deidara has done -"

"God Ru-Ru, do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I haven't seen what they've put you through over the past few days? Do you think I don't understand how horrible it must be for you?!"

"Kiba. . ." Naruto whispered.

"I've been there," Kiba whimpered, his whole body shaking, tears trickling down from under trembling fists, "Every step of the way, watching you get hurt. And it hurts to see what they've been doing to you. And it's even worse, knowing that I'm too scared to do anything to stop it!" His crying finally ceased. He removed his hands from his reddened eyes. "But please Ru-Ru, don't you see? It's the Uchihas that have been your torturers, not Dei-Dei. Just like you said, he's their _servant. _The Uchihas are his masters, do you understand how terrifying that must be for him? Do you think you'd be able to say no to them?"

Naruto turned back to Deidara, who was observing the floor so intensely he could have burned a hole through it.

He whispered, "Kiba, perhaps you should go downstairs for a moment. It is alright," he said, noticing Kiba about to argue, "I will be down soon."

Knowing that both his brother and his new friend would not continue the conversation until he had left the room, Kiba grumbled incoherently under his breath as he exited, hoping that once he did leave, they could resolve the issue by themselves.

"It is not as bad as he says it is," Deidara mumbled, "Itachi-sama and Sasuke-sama are very good to me. I choose to obey them. I am not forced into anything, like Kiba seems to believe."

"So you're okay with what they are choosing to do?" Naruto answered back, "You're okay with harvesting people for them to feed off of, tying people up and helping them commit their murder -"

"Please stop Naruto!"

He stopped as Deidara's voice became high-pitched and shaky. He looked up from under his long blonde hair, and a sinking - yet heavy - feeling filled Naruto's gut as he saw the most delicate droplets of tears filled Deidara's eyes. It took a few moments before Deidara realised that he was crying, but when he did, he furiously began to wipe them away, avoiding Naruto's piercing gaze at all costs.

"I apologize for my behaviour Naruto," he chuckled nervously, "I should not be crying in such an unsightly manner. I do not even have a reason to cry."

Naruto watched as Deidara tried to stop himself crying, but unlike Kiba, he was not as successful.

"You're not okay with it, are you?"

"Y-you do not understand Naruto," Deidara choked quietly, "I serve the Uchihas because. . .they took m-me in, when I n-needed help. They looked. . .after m-me. I must repay them for. . .this debt. And so. . .I d-do these tasks. . .to loyally serve. . .the Uchiha name. I c-cannot. . .disobey them. .I just. . .c-cannot -"

"And yet you do nice things for me, even though you know that sometimes, you'll have to double-cross me? What for? Penance? Is that it?"

Deidara did not answer. Naruto - though he was uncomfortable sitting next to a crying person (something he always felt when having to deal with sadness in such a manner) - he continued the conversation himself.

"I think I understand a little now," he sighed softly, "Though I understand, I don't think I can trust you."

"I n-never asked you to t-trust me," Deidara replied, "I don't. . .want you to. I want you. . .to hate me."

"What?"

"It will be easier that way," Deidara murmured, finally resisting the urge to cry, "If you are not my friend, then it will not be as painful. If you already hated me, then you would expect my treachery."

"Don't get me wrong," Naruto announced, "I did hate you."

Deidara nodded slowly in response; he expected this kind of harsh reaction from Naruto, but that did not mean he liked it any better.

"But, now that I know what's going on. . .and seeing you cry and all. . .you're making it harder for me to hate you."

Deidara's eyes widened. "I don't deserve this kindness from you Naruto. You should hate me."

"I can try and hate you?" he suggested, fighting the urge to laugh at his ridiculous statement.

A small smile appeared on Deidara's face as he fiddled with his sleeves once more. "Very well. Please try your hardest." **(3)**

* * *

For the next few hours, Deidara spent more time tending to Naruto's wounds, applying different pastes and oils that he had made himself in the kitchens of the Uchiha mansion. He explained to Naruto that one of his roles in the house was to tend to the Uchiha brothers if they became ill or also had injuries that needed tending to. After a while, Naruto realised that he no longer felt any pain in his hands when he moved them, and after Deidara removed the bandages, he noticed that there was no real sign of his previous wounds.

"The pain is still present in your hands Naruto," Deidara explained cautiously, "So you still need to be careful. However, they should not cause you as much trouble as they did before."

"Thanks Deidara," Naruto replied, slowly getting used to calling Deidara by his name in a more friendly manner - even though the teenager had warned him not to do so.

"Naruto," he said, "Now that your injuries are more or less taken care of, I was wondering if you would like to take a bath? I could easily lead you down to the bathing rooms so that you could clean yourself?

Naruto stopped. Thinking about it, the last time he had had a shower was the day Kiba and him had entered the mansion for their vampire scavenge. And that was. . .

About five days ago. Give or take a few hours.

"You're right," Naruto grinend sheepishly, "I seriously need a shower."

"I'm afraid we do not have a 'shower'," Deidara replied, "But we do have a very large bath you could use?"

Naruto groaned. He would have preferred a shower.

"Okay Deidara," he answered, a small smile on his tanned face, "That would be great."

Deidara smiled in return and said, "If you will follow me, I shall draw your bath for you."

Helping Naruto up from his bed - though Naruto protested that he did not need his help - the two of them walked out of the bedroom and began their journey through the darkened corridor once again. Noticing the shadows looming from every darkened nook and cranny of the hallway, Naruto asked, "Is it night-time outside?"

Deidara looked out of the stain-glass windows for a few moments and replied, "It is almost sunset. Why?"

Naruto imagined two pairs of very large, piercing blood-red eyes. With a small shudder he replied, "No reason. No reason at all."

* * *

"It will not take long Naruto. The bath is usually very quick to heat up."

Naruto looked at the bathing room in foreign wonderment as Deidara walked towards the large wooden bath in the middle of the room. He had never seen a bath so big in his entire life, and the only time he had ever seen a wooden one was in some kind of period drama. In a weird way, the room was intriguing, though Naruto did not want to mention it, hoping to avoid embarrassing himself.

Deidara pressed one hand against the smooth beige wall, removing a cork that was buried into the stone. Immediately, a large stream of water poured from the hole and landed perfectly in the wooden bath, hissing loudly on contact and emitting billows of hot steam. In a matter of seconds, the bath had already filled more than half way.

"Wait a minute," Naruto said slowly, "Vampires die from water, so why would you have water anywhere in the mansion?"

Deidara looked back at Naruto and smiled. "This is not water Naruto. This is something we make especially for them to bathe in." He laughed - it was a sweet sound, something that Naruto thought suited him very well. "Honestly Naruto, did you not think that they bathed at all? They may not be human, but they obey the same human rules of hygiene."

"So what is it then?" Naruto asked, slightly embarrassed after being laughed at. His plan for avoiding humiliation had not worked as well as he had hoped.

Deidara - sensing that the bath had been filled far enough - pressed the cork back into the wall, smiling when the wall responded with a quiet pop. He moved towards the bath, and lowered his hand into the liquid to test the temperature.

"It is a herbal potion made from lavender," he replied, swirling the substance slowly with one hand. When he was satisfied, he removed his hand and stepped back from the bath.

"It's ready now Naruto," he said, "Would you like some help bathing? With your poorer health and slight injuries, it may be better if I -"

A bright blush attacked Naruto's cheeks. "No no!" he cried, but after seeing Deidara's eyes widened and his eyebrows raise, he softened his voice and turned his head to save himself any further embarrassment. "It's fine," he mumbled, "I can have a bath by myself. I don't need your help."

Looking back he saw Deidara's face darken, and - sensing he had hurt the young man's feelings - he quickly added a 'thank you' to correct his rudeness.

"Well I will be right outside if you need me," Deidara called as he began to walk out of the door, "Once you have gotten undressed, please pass me your clothes so that I can have them cleaned for you. It shouldn't take too long -" he motioned to a plain package on top of a nearby table, " - but there are spare clothes if you need them."

With a small smile, Deidara bowed and exited the room. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sighing as the sweet smell of lavender dizzied his senses. Feeling relaxed for the first time in years, he removed his clothes, opened the door slightly to pass them to Deidara, then walked back and carefully slipped into the bath.

Naruto was never really a bath person; when he was a little boy, and his father always used to try and give him baths, he remembered yelling and refusing to even go near the bath. Even when he was older, he hated the thought of soaking in your own dirt until the tips of your fingers and toes went wrinkly.

But this was like nothing he had experienced at home. The strange lavender solution that Deidara had used was hot - but not uncomfortably so, and it began to slowly steam as soon as it came into contact with his skin, softening his aching limbs. The feeling was euphoric in a way, and he sank lower into the bathtub, submerging himself until only his head and neck were visible.

The concept of time vanished within an instant; he could have been in the bath for days and he would not have known. His mother's necklace - which he had not removed from around his neck for safety reasons - touched the liquid delicately, shimmering beautifully and soon as it had connected with the substance. He smiled, the happy memories of his mother filling his mind.

_He was five years old, and his mother was holding him tightly in her arms, rocking him slowly to sleep with her night-time lullaby. She was stroking his hair; kissing the top of his head; lacing her fingers in between his smaller ones. _

_So gentle. . ._

_So loving - _

And then she was gone.

He gasped for air as he pulled himself out of the bath, choking as the lavender liquid slipped down his throat. He shook his blonde bangs and coughed violently over the side, the memories of his mother now slipping away.

"Damn it," he spluttered, "This is why I don't do baths. You fall asleep and then you end up almost drowning yourself. . ."

Turning towards the door, he saw that Deidara had left his clothes - now clean - on a neat pile on the floor, along with a towel to dry himself. Not wanting to fight the urge to get out of the bath as soon as possible to avoid another life-or-death incident, Naruto pulled himself up - hissing as the cuts on his hands began to sting again - and proceeded to put on his clothes. Once he had properly dressed, he opened the bathing room door, hissing as the cold air attacked his limbs.

He looked around for Deidara, hoping to find the late-teen somewhere, however he was no where in sight. He stood there, wondering if he could find his way back to the room by himself, when suddenly - he heard a noise. A low humming; melodic, and complex, yet soft, like listening to a song through a wall next to you.

"What is that?" he asked himself out loud, feeling his legs move slowly towards the quiet sound.

Remembering the common phrase 'curiosity killed the cat', and disregarding said phrase, he quickened his feet and began to follow the sound.

* * *

He did not have to go far to find the noise. In fact, when he had thought the noise was like listening to something through a wall next to you, it was exactly that. A few rooms away from the bathing room he had been occupying, to be precise. But once he had reached the room, he found himself suddenly nervous about opening the door.

Thinking about it clearly, he realised that he had not exactly thought his plan through. Realising that in this given situation, curiosity would more than likely get him killed, he decided to retreat, hoping to find Deidara or Kiba on his travel back to the room.

He had not walked three steps before the door behind him slowly creaked open, and warm steam creeped out of the room. He waited, hoping to be hidden by the large clouds of mist.

If only fate was that kind.

"You know some people would call your spying indecent."

Naruto flinched as Sasuke slowly lowered his head to stare curiously at him through the mist, his black bangs clinging to his pale skin. He leaned back, leisurely draping his arms over the side of the bath.

"However," he continued, "I would simply call it rudeness."

"I-I'm sorry," Naruto heard himself stammer, mentally kicking himself for sounding so pathetic, "I heard a noise, a-and I thought -"

"You thought. . .what?"

Naruto turned his head away in hopes of hiding the faint flush that attacked his cheeks when he realized he had no idea what had possessed him to wander into the room in the first place. But when he heard Sasuke emit a low chuckle, he realized he had failed.

"You are so feeble it is almost laughable," he breathed, lowering his hand into the bath and then lifting it to let the hot, sweet-smelling liquid trickle through his fingers.

"I am not!" was all Naruto could reply with.

Sasuke smirked, and reached over to a small table that stood next to his bath, to grab something amongst his clothes. He foraged for a few moments, and then finally pulled out from a pocket Naruto's butterfly necklace, entangling his delicate fingers in the silver chain, and dangling the item tantalizingly in front of him. Naruto slowly reached up to his neck, cradling the empty space at his collar, his eyes widening as he watched the necklace swing slowly in Sasuke's grip.

"When did you take it. . ?" he asked, mortified.

"Whilst you were bathing," Sasuke replied simply, his eyes fixated on Naruto, "Or rather, whilst you were asleep when you were supposed to be bathing. Such a pretty thing, do you not think? You really should take better care of your belongings -"

"**Give it back!**" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke's smirk grew. "Take it from me."

He froze. Sasuke laughed.

"If you want it so badly," he hissed pleasurably, clenching the necklace in his fist, "Then come and get it."

Naruto wanted to run over and punch him with all the force he possessed. He wanted to snatch the necklace right out of grubby thieving little hands. But he couldn't. Though it was not as strong, he could feel the same demonic aura from Sasuke that he had felt when he had confronted Itachi. And even though his heart screamed at him to take back the only piece of his mother he had been left with, he was rooted to the spot.

"You are afraid of me," Sasuke whispered dangerously, "And so you should be. You need to learn your place, _human_, and you need to understand. My onii-sama is not keeping you alive out of _compassion_, but rather for his own _amusement_." **(4)**

Sasuke slowly began to get out of the bath, which made Naruto fiercely turn his head away, though he knew this is exactly how the vampire wanted him to react - he knew Sasuke wanted to torment him; to embarrass him. He felt disgusted with himself for appeasing him in such a way.

And slightly confused. Why was he embarrassed when Sasuke talked to him, or when he looked at him for that matter? With Itachi it was intense fear, but at least he had the courage to talk back to him. But with Sasuke, it was different. Too different. The way that he made him feel. . .he didn't like it.

Not knowing what was left for him to do, Naruto reached for the door, in hopes that later on in the evening - once Sasuke was ready and fully clothed - he would be able to confront him properly and get his necklace back.

However, he was barely able to take a single step.

"Going somewhere. . ._Naruto-kun_?" **(5)**

He could barely breathe as Sasuke suddenly appeared behind him, wrapping his arms threateningly around his smaller frame, pressing his chin into the crook of Naruto's shoulder. He felt Sasuke's wet hair drip onto his clothes; he felt the linen of Sasuke's shirt caress his skin; and he saw his mother's old necklace dangling elegantly from Sasuke's slender neck.

Sasuke breathed in slowly. "Your smell is truly unique. I have never. . .experienced something like this before. It is taking all I have not to kill you on the spot."

Taking the new-found opportunity, Naruto lunged outwards and tried to snatch the necklace and pull it off of Sasuke's neck. But he was not fast enough; in one fluid motion Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and forced it to his lips, baring his fangs for just a moment, his eyes simmering with longing. Naruto tried to pull back, but Sasuke's grip tightened, his nails digging deeply into Naruto's skin.

"Ah ah," he chuckled, "You really want it that badly?"

Naruto did not answer. He just glared.

"Your heartbeat is so loud," Sasuke said, smirking, "It is like you are trying to tease me -"

"Believe me I'm not," Naruto snapped back weakly.

Pausing for a moment to sigh, Sasuke stepped back, roughly releasing Naruto from his grip. He ran a hand through his midnight black spikes, still soaking from his bathe. Walking over to the small side table again, he picked up his beige waistcoat, slowly slipped it on, and began to do up the extravagant golden buttons. Naruto just stared at his wrist, now red and throbbing.

"If you would like your necklace back," Sasuke announced, "Then I want you to meet me in the Main Hall tomorrow night, are we clear? I will send Deidara-san to fetch you. However -" he paused to smirk, "- if you are too afraid to face me, then the necklace is mine."

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, "I never agreed to -"

Sasuke quickly looked back at Naruto, his eyes glowing in the candlelight. Any and all words immediately died in Naruto's throat. "If you disobey me, then I might not be able to control myself when next we meet. Then again, how do you know that I shall actually return the necklace, and keep my word? I am a 'filthy bloodsucker' after all."

After slipping on his boots, Sasuke strolled past Naruto, smiling casually as he saw all of the courage fade from his eyes. Leaving him to ponder his options, Sasuke walked out of the room, his smile immediately vanishing as he closed the door behind him. He lowered his head as he heard a loud thud as Naruto collapsed onto the floor.

He sighed once again, pressing himself lightly against the door to gaze yearningly at the ceiling above.

Wondering.

Watching.

Waiting.

"Are you pleased now, onii-sama?"

Itachi emerged from the darkness beside him, gently patting him encouragingly on the shoulder, showing his blood-stained fangs as he smiled.

"Well done otouto," he smirked, "Well done."

* * *

**(1)** He is asking the hunter for help because currently he is still a young vampire (looking about 16 yrs old). He doesn't really have a clue about cures for hunter weapons and such, though he believes the hunter does. He will probably research on the matter, however he believes that demanding the hunter to do it is a sure-fire way of saving his brother's life.  
**(2)** Lol is anyone having Naruto episode 101 flashbacks right about now? I know I am. . .:P  
**(3)** This is so saaad. . .poor Deidara. . .*sniff*  
**(4)** When Itachi talks to other people about his family, he says 'my brother, my father etc.' so that the people who aren't Japanese know who he is talking about, so that they understand (though he uses otouto, otou-sama when he speaks to his family directly). However, when Sasuke talks to people, he still says, 'onii-sama' because he does not think he should have to stop using this respectful term just so that humans can understand him. (sorry if I haven't followed this idea throughout the story, I shall do it from now on ^^)  
**(5)** This speech is a major part for Sasuke. Up until this point, he has mainly called Naruto 'human' and has not acknowledged him by using his proper name. Now he has finally called Naruto with the name his brother uses, with terrifying effects for poor Naruto. Sasuke has done this simply to scare him. And it's worked.

I hope everyone enjoyed this new chapter, I had lots of fun writing it ^^ I hope I didn't rush this chapter too much! I was really worried about how to connect certain sections together, so I hope none of it got too boring .

I must admit currently Naruto is absolutely terrified of Sasuke - his words, actions, even his aura gives him the creeps. We shall just have to see how things pan out for our main characters. . . ^^

And oh my gosh Deidara is OOC this chapter isn't he? *giggles* If he were real, he would hunt me down and kill me for my interpretation of him XD

Before I finish this chapter, I just wanted to ask everyone if they find the bold numbered comments at the end of each chapter helpful. I started writing them because I thought some things I was writing didn't make sense, or just seemed confusing, so I wanted to explain them. (Well apart from number **2**, that one was just for fun XD aaand. . .maybe number **3** too. . .) However, if you guys don't really need them, or find them annoying, please let me know ^^

Until next time!

N-I-N


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